AN INITIATIVE designed to reduce illegal attacks on birds of prey in North Yorkshire has been rolled out across the country.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, or take any wild bird, subject to a few exceptions.
‘Operation Owl’, launched in February 2018, set out to raise awareness of raptor (bird of prey) persecution and increase public vigilance. Police surveillance checks are also carried out at known hot-spots to discourage offenders.
It is a joint initiative between North Yorkshire Police, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and the North York Moors and Yorkshire Dales National Parks, and has now been rolled out nationwide.
A new website - www.operationowl.com - provides more information.
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