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| Pulling no punches - the new report |
THE RSPB has come under fire in a new report commissioned by an organisation called the Campaign for the Protection of Moorland Communities.
Entitled RSPB Uncovered, the document claims to expose misteps in how the society conducts wildlife crime investigations.
The study examines 14 investigations by the charity between 1990 and 2025, concluding that a pattern emerges of "routinely scapegoating rural communities".
In particular, it exanmines the activities of RSPB Senior Investigator Guy Shorrock and Head of Investigations Mark Thomas, working under the leadership of the charity's former Director of Conservation, Mark Avery.
Says report author A.B. O’Rourke, a former deputy foreign editor of Hongkong's South China Morning Post: "It is shocking that charity workers, with no authority or legal powers, have seemingly been allowed to run amok through the countryside, firing accusations at anyone they believe is morally inferior for the sole purpose of furthering the agenda of their masters."
"Cases where gamekeepers, bird breeders or egg enthusiasts end up with criminal records based on the RSPB's flawed or non-existent evidence and misinformation ought to be re-examined and public apologies issued.
"The fact this anarchy has gone on so long proves it is sanctioned by the charity's senior management."
The report also explores the case of Paul Morrison, the former warden of Coquet Island, off Northumberland, who was controversially sacked in 2024 despite his efforts over quarter of a century to safeguard its breeding colony of rare Roseate Terns.
RSPB Uncovered has received extensive coverage in the shooting Press, but not so far in the birding Press. It can be viewed online at: RSPB-Uncovered.pdf
It is not known if the RSPB will respond to the claims.
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