North Yorkshire Police is joining forces with the RSPB and the two North Yorkshire national parks to launch Operation Owl – an initiative to tackle the illegal persecution of birds of prey in the county.
Operation Owl was officially launched this morning (17 February 2018) at Brimham Rocks, near to Summerbridge.
North Yorkshire has the highest incidence of reported raptor (birds of prey) persecutions in the England with specially-protected birds such as falcons, buzzards and kites poisoned, shot and trapped every year.
Op Owl, police will do random swoops on known persecution hot-spots to deter and catch offenders.
They are also calling on the public to be the eyes and ears of the police, and help spot and report illegal pole traps, poisoning and habitat disturbance.
