Vervolging van roofvogels in Nederland in 2007

Poisoning (N=17) and deliberately disturbing of nests (N=103) were recorded throughout The Netherlands (Fig. 1). Victims of poisoning were Buzzards Buteo buteo (N=12), Goshawks Accipter gentilis (N=4) and White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla (N=1). The White-tailed Eagle was a first for The Netherlands (in terms of illegal killing), moreover found in the breeding stronghold of Montagu’s Harriers Circus pygargus in The Netherlands. A wide variety of pesticides and rodenticides was found in poisoned raptors, i.e. aldicarb (2x), parathion (2x), carbofuran (7x), mevinfos (2x), difenacoum (1x) and strychnine (1x). Disturbing nests by keeping parents away from the nest or by destroying eggs, killing nestlings and shooting is widespread. Based on the recorded intensity of persecution (Table 2), the large sample of nest cards (>3800 in 2007), the wide distribution of nest cards over the country and recent population estimates of raptor species, it is calculated that a minimum of some 600 raptor nests have been destroyed in 2007, mostly Buzzards (450) (Tabel 3). The much smaller number of poisoning incidents, compared with 2006 (N=75), was presumably connected with the governmental directive (Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality) only to have suspected cases examined when the offender is known. This effectively frustrated the flow of illegally killed animals (including raptors) into the Central Veterinary Institute (where post-mortems are carried out). Another factor may have been the outcry following last year’s illegal activities, which may have cautioned the perpetrators. The decline in the frequency of nest disturbances, a halving compared with 2006, was accompanied by a more active interest in raptor persecution by the Ministry of Justice, i.e. by taking a firmer line in tracking down perpetrators, and in sentences (naming and shaming).