Indjured wild birds

[Adam Barrett]

What are the laws in the uk regarding indjured wild birds?
Are we as falconers allowed to rehabilatate and release them or would this still be illegal? :roll:
Cheers
Adam

[BrianM]

its a ****in mine field , last year i was given a kestral that had fallen into a works yard, the guys there not knowing what to do took it in turns tofed the bird for 5 weeks till it was at the stage off harrasing them for food, it was hoplessly imprinted when i got it.. i phoned the sspca who didnt know what i should do with it but stated that i could be prosicuted for having it,, defra would get somone to phone me back, still waiting,, in the end i gave it to center who said that they would deal with it,,, i was too afraid of being done to hold onto it

[HawkMan69UK]

i phoned defra about the buzzard i found they said it was not in the article 4 ???? list but to phone local wildlife liason officer phoned him gave him details and if it cant be released phone him back he will take it to a vet who in turn decide wether it can be released if not i can keep it or find it another home ..he did not need to come round to see it

[Goldie]

That seems to be the norm when you contact them athough they usually tell me to get name and address of person who found it if it wasn't you and detail the circumstances, other than whats previously been posted they don't want to know. Overworked the poor sods :(
NOW if it were an eagle :rolleyes: I bet your door would get a knock knock :)

[Hodgesargh]

Yes, it's a minefield governed by several Acts of Parliament including Wildlife & Countryside Act & CROW.

Basic rules of thumb:

1. Keep written records of how it came into your posession. Include name, address & phone number of whoever found it.

2.If in doubt, take it to a vet or refer it to a specialist Raptor rehab group (Raptor Rescue, The Raptor Trust etc.)/ local Falconry Centre.

3.Never hold onto a bird for longer than necessary.

4.Always leave decisions to a vet (euthanasia, keeping wild-disabled birds etc.). By and large, vets will "treat" wild casualties for free - the only problem is that some will only euthanase. If you want any more, you might have to pay.

5.If the vet recons that the bird should be regarded as wild-disabled but could usefully be kept in captivity without distress (possible breeding stock), get written confirmation from the vet & pass this on to DEFRA in Bristol (they're very helpful).

6.Never release a bird unless you're confident that it's fit (a whole new set of laws apply including the Abandonment of Animals Act).

At the end of the day, the onus is on you to show that you came by the bird honestly and have been doing your best to rehabilitate it & return it to the wild. If you can show both of these, you should be OK.