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Hi folks,
Just after I 'tweeted' earlier today that I'd not heard back from Natural England re: the Coot licences, as if by magic I had a reply from them! I'm not sure how you will all view their response.....but at least it's a response. As you may know, I had raised concerns about the Coots specifically when Natural England had claimed that "Control of coot by shooting has only been licensed when a bird has been injured", when in fact they had issued several licences to shoot hundreds of the birds. I gave them one example of a specific licence they had issued for lethal control of Coot and asked them for an explanation. Today I had an apology and an explanation. I'll quote from the message. "First, an apology. This case was overlooked in pulling together the information for my previous reply to and you were right to challenge that." Okay, that's a decent start isn't it. But it wasn't just this particular case that was 'overlooked', as a quick scan of the licence data clearly shows many other lethal control licences that were issued against Coots. In their message, Natural England explain that the example licence "was a renewal licence and included permission for up to 100 coots to be killed, injured or taken and 50 coot nests destroyed." I think 100 Coots on a single licence is too many. Anyway, the agency go on to explain: "Our site visit and technical assessment of the initial application found that coot in excess of 200 were causing a risk to public health and safety in and around a lake at a park visited by large numbers of the public throughout the year (via fouling of those public area). We visited and held a discussion with the applicant and reviewed the records of sightings and numbers. A highly significant amount of fouling to public areas was evident. Non-lethal methods of control, including bird-scarers, gas-guns, visual deterrents and shooting to scare were judged inappropriate as the site lies close to a nature reserve and has large numbers of visitors throughout the year. The applicant therefore wished to control numbers of coot via the deployment of a range of methods as appropriate, including the destruction of nests and eggs and to shoot birds with the aid of a sound moderated rifle." According to Natural England, the actual report of action taken under that licence showed that between February and August of 2016, 24 Coots were shot and that 14 nests were destroyed. The same (renewal) licence for the following year apparently reported a 'nil' return, indicating that no Coots or nests had been destroyed. My concern, as always, with these returns is that they seem to rely entirely on the honesty of the licence holder to accurately report final figures. So I'll leave it up to you to decide whether this all seems acceptable. For me, a much stricter monitoring of licences is essential to avoid relying on (as Natural England put it) the 'good practice' of applicants. And I'm still very uncomfortable with so many licences being granted in the first place. I feel that the issuing of thousands of licences each year by the agency surely makes for too many opportunities to kill birds on a large scale. Though Coots are not red listed, licences are issued to kill many other species that are of conservation concern, including the Herring Gull which appears frequently in the data in huge numbers. Best, Jase 
161 Comments
Roger Mew
30/5/2019 05:49:36 pm
If a politician is involved it will always start with a "Well" and you know that the mirrors are coming out!
Suzanne
30/5/2019 06:43:52 pm
😃 So so true!!
sara allerton
30/5/2019 06:00:14 pm
you are spot on Linda it all seems to be about rich landowners and lies
Ray Winfield
30/5/2019 06:00:21 pm
Absolutely Linda. These are the very people tasked to protect these birds, and what's more paid for by us the taxpayers!
David Coombes
30/5/2019 06:14:20 pm
Absolutely agree. Makes me so angry when the welfare of wildlife we are lucky enough to share this planet with is put in the hands of these idiots. Sack the lot and start again is exactly right.
Jan Lyon
6/6/2019 10:47:36 am
Totally agree. Give someone the job of caring for our wildlife!! Why kill birds just because they are doing a natural thing! For Heaven's sake, sack the idiotic people who evidently don't give a hoot! Or COOT in this case!
Linda Enness
30/5/2019 06:12:59 pm
Any destruction of natural wildlife is abhorrent. The public need to put up with the coot mess, as I used to do, when living on a farm, with ducks, geese, coots, moorhens etc. If people want to wander in parks etc, which our birds etc see as nice grass /habitat for themselves, then they will need to realise they will have to put up with any mess. In my opinion, too many are ignorant of the needs of wildlife.
Joan Adamson
30/5/2019 06:19:10 pm
I absolutely agree with you Linda. I had no idea that coots were being targeted. I adore them, their shouting, the way they puff up when an intruder comes on the scene and their gorgeous fluffy little babies. I love all water birds and am totally against their deliberate destruction.
rosemary barbar allen
30/5/2019 06:28:42 pm
totally agree. H & S gone mad
Glenda Smeed
30/5/2019 08:47:03 pm
Yes Linda,too many are ignorant of wild-life needs.
Christine Wynne
30/5/2019 08:51:58 pm
Oh dear are the nice people worried about getting a little poo on their shoes.. Simple. Just carry a pair of shoes in he car - which they inevitably arrived in, then clean the dirty pair off when they get home. Or, go to somewhere where there aren't any coots, they are obviously not bird lovers
Debra Quirke
30/5/2019 09:50:32 pm
So true if people want to enjoy the wildlife in Natural surroundings they can't just see these lovely birds and think how beautiful they are without any consequence of their lack of toilet training. Perhaps these people should go to the cinema or restaurant etc.... for their entertainment?You cannot beat the joy of a wonderful Natural Environment and that involves all what they bring.
Liz callegari
30/5/2019 10:40:13 pm
Spot on Linda. Why do people expect to enjoy the pleasures available whether in the wild or in a "nature reserve" without the natural wildlife and their poo being abundant, after all if you walk through a cow field and tread in cow shit you dont give out licence to have the cows shot! It's moronic to provide a license to anyone giving the right to annihilate wildlife no matter what reasons are provided. How dare any one organisation allow such lunacy to continue unabated for so long and never check the validity of those given such license or consider the repercussions. Extraordinary!!! This war on every other species entitled to share this world (the majority sadly human) must be halted or our own demise will be sooner than anticipated and the years before will grow harder for all. The world has gone insane
Irene
31/5/2019 09:11:49 am
A bit of mess? This is natural and will be absorbed into the earth, far better than the rubbish, plastic, leftovers from well known take away merchants that people leave strewn about the place, and dog poo that lazy dog owners don’t clear up....I’ve witnessed all this along canals when we had a narrow boat.
Eunice McCullough
31/5/2019 09:46:40 am
Why don’t the complainers stay away. Colts are beautiful birds,and are a part of the wildlife,we are so lucky to have.Coots do not,leave rubbish lying around,plastic,and filthy disposable nappies lying on the ground.Whoever is responsible for allowing these murdering licenses to be given to lowlife,should be named and shamed.
Stuart Davies
31/5/2019 10:01:17 am
Absolutely! Animals were here first. It's our duty to control our numbers instead of expecting everything to step aside for us and our overpopulation problem.
Christine Muddiman
31/5/2019 11:41:26 am
So right, we only have to look at this planet to see which species makes the most mess! It's us!
Gary Sherman
31/5/2019 03:39:10 pm
Well said, Linda. A faultless summary of the situation. We should be living with wildlife, not against it.
Freda Child
2/6/2019 04:27:08 pm
Agreed, Linda. And I think many of those same "public" would be pretty appalled to know the birds were being shot because someone somewhere imagined the "public" are so squeamish. How about those responsible for the areas clean up. After all, we don't shoot people's dogs because they shit on our paths. I call Natural England's attitude "eco-fascism".
Anne
30/5/2019 06:13:31 pm
Great work on your part!
Fay Watson
30/5/2019 10:32:51 pm
That's a shocking report. I'm appalled to hear that an agency named Natural England is destroying so many coots just because their droppings irritate people. I think you're doing a great job, Jason - keep going!
liz callegari
30/5/2019 10:54:44 pm
Anne, why does any species other than humans need to be controlled? The only real problem facing our world right now is OVERPOPULATION! Nothing else matters. Few creatures other than perhaps locust need to be controlled as nature and natural selection does this already. Man's intervention and attempts at "controlling" nature have failed dismally and we have irrevocably altered the future of every species on this incredibly unique planet including our own future. 50 years ago Jacques Cousteau, a well know and highly respected marine biologist quoted the same thing. Until humans accept we are the problem and the only species we should be looking at is ouselves we will continue to slide into the quicksand with little hope of rescue. We are quickly reaching a point of no return. One of my two sons will not bring kids into this world as a result! I applaud his decision. If only others worldwide would take a similar stance but I dispair of most. Their selfish need to breed outweighs common sense
Ken Sweet
31/5/2019 10:45:27 am
Best comment on this matter is made by Stuart Davies, it's the human population that needs controlling NOT the animals.
Elsie
1/6/2019 09:45:26 am
Oh my goodness Anne!! Oiling baby birds in their eggs? Really? What is wrong with people?!?! I am really rather shocked that you think that’s ok. We are here conversing the fact that we should be leaving all birds alone..all animals deserve to live just like you! And also yes I agree with everyone on here clearly stating that humans are the ones devastating this planet and let’s leave nature alone. All my vegan love, peace and prayers ❤️✌🏼🙏🏼 30/5/2019 06:25:24 pm
I don't trust them either! Too many people "in charge" are too complacent about monitoring to ensure proper control.
L
30/5/2019 06:32:11 pm
This is a ridicilous response from NE. It is going on trust of humans. We all have witnessed expoitation by others in pwer. Also this was a "nature reserve". What a contradiction! Its not a human reserve! They need to go further to protect nature not destroy it.
Lorraine Pooley
30/5/2019 10:28:21 pm
Hi Jason.
kaye wingham
30/5/2019 06:32:32 pm
Jese, my thoughts mirror yours. Thank you for being a voice for nature and a conscience with courage to speak out.
Carol Heslop
1/6/2019 07:42:42 pm
A absolutely agree. Thankyou for speaking out for nature. As for the coots mess, walk around a town or city after a Friday or Saturday night, and witness the empty takeaway boxes, broken glass, etc. Human mess.
Suzanne
30/5/2019 06:42:45 pm
As ever using sxxt as an excuse for spouting it. We are privileged to share this earth with nature yet as ever humans deem themselves superior. In actual fact many extinctions, massive damage and huge cruelty have proven to be caused by our ignorance, vanity and greed
Lorraine Pooley
30/5/2019 10:30:08 pm
Hi Jason.
Beverley Zywina
31/5/2019 04:24:35 pm
I seem to agree with most everyone on this site
Grace
30/5/2019 06:55:38 pm
Hi, I wonder if people visiting the area were asked their opinion on the shooting of the Coots because of their alleged fouling of the area, if they would have been happy to have them shot?
Teresa Kemp
31/5/2019 02:49:15 am
Hi i also do not believe that the visitors as in people to these places are outraged by some bird poop, its beyond me comical, humans that take a family to the park are more concerned about their child being covered in dog crap than anything else. In my own park we have numerous wild life and the biggest nuisance to the area are off road quads and vile sounding bikes. As for Councils being custodians of these beautiful places Dont make me laugh. Its all about money and who controls it. x
Maddie
30/5/2019 07:07:04 pm
These self smug self possessing sanctimonious horrors make me feel violent and sick. We vote them in and then they treat the electorate like they are non consequential and illiterate.
liz callegari
30/5/2019 10:57:39 pm
Well and eloquently said
Leonard
30/5/2019 07:10:37 pm
All sounds very iffy
Kevin Spicet
30/5/2019 07:18:11 pm
‘Natural England’ ..... B******’s ! Myself, no doubt like most others, ‘used’ to get the impression that with such a title these people looked after all nature and wildlife ? Quite clearly the title ‘Natural England’ is VERY misleading ! Perhaps they should change their title to ‘Un-natural England’ and people would then get more of an idea of what they are really about !
Shirley Nicholas
30/5/2019 07:26:18 pm
Natural England poor choice of name, not fit to hold office.
Sandra Shearn
31/5/2019 11:54:32 am
Spot on!
Wendy Nicolaou
30/5/2019 07:56:22 pm
What a load of crap for want of a better word. Liars all of them. No licences shd be granted for any animal to be shot (ie lions elephants and the rest) who are we to decide whether they live or die. We dont grant assisted dying here so why pick on defence less animals that want to live!!!!
Mary Stephenson
30/5/2019 08:09:27 pm
Cannot believe what is happening and the behaviour of Natural England is absolutely barbaric! I had no idea that this was happening.
PATRICIA
30/5/2019 08:19:24 pm
I agree with you too. There's nobody available to be sent out to check such licences and rely on honesty!!!
Chris webster
30/5/2019 08:21:00 pm
If it’s just the mess that is a problem, why no the have someone sweep the areas once a day - far preferable to killing them.,
liz callegari
30/5/2019 11:02:29 pm
Why should they Chris. If you don't like bird shit don't go to areas that cater for birds. Stay in your own sterile homes with the synthetic smell of air freshness permeating your nostrils. No wonder people are unhealthy. It's their own poisons that' are harmful not treading in bird poo!! Get a grip 😕
David Roberts
30/5/2019 08:47:46 pm
Neither do l trust them . No need in tge first place to shoot them l don't care what anybody says especially these lot.
Christine Bates
30/5/2019 09:19:38 pm
I would reiterate the last comment, they are smoke & mirrors. we had dealings with them over another matter, not sure I would ever trust them.
Lorraine Pooley
30/5/2019 10:20:38 pm
Hi Jason,
Denise
30/5/2019 10:47:20 pm
Do not trust the responses, I bet far mor killed and nests destroyed than reported. Tampering with nature yet again.
jane craig
30/5/2019 11:46:31 pm
So-called Natural England is a misnomer, should be Un-natural England. I don’t think there are any politicians or employees of Natural England who know anything about wildlife and the web of life, that all living things are dependent on the chain- for want of a better word. If we continue to destroy wildlife, both fauna and flora, through stupidity, greed, ignorance and lies then humans will disappear. We need to listen to wise voices such as David Attenborough. 31/5/2019 09:05:12 am
I would not be surprised if they had disengaged with you NE are good at doing this with people that disagree with its policies to destroy wildlife.
Christine Edwards
31/5/2019 09:14:23 am
Thank you so much for all that you are doing Jason. When I first heard of the issuing of these licences I wrote to Natural England twice and got very bland self -exculpatory answers on both occasions. I even suggested they read the report on what happened in China in 1958 when Chairman Mao Ze Dong ordered the killing of millions of small birds because he thought they were eating crops. The result of this was the worst economical and ecological disaster in the history of China. It makes very interesting reading.. I did send them a copy but got no response so probably no one read it. My grateful thanks once again.
Pamela Allen
31/5/2019 10:29:24 am
RE-TERM please to UN-NATURAL ENGLAND.
John Whitehead
31/5/2019 09:22:07 am
If the place is considered a health hazard to humans, better to shut off human access and leave the coots alone. Death penalty for causing a minor inconvenience to humans seems a bit severe. 31/5/2019 09:44:03 am
As Mark Twain said "There are lies, damned lies and statistics ". In other words politician-speak. Is there an honest politician in this country?
Mike Downing
31/5/2019 10:23:02 am
Hi Jase,
Lesley Partridge
31/5/2019 10:59:57 am
Thank goidness there are people in the world like Jason. Killing birds is just so cruel. Farmers complain about crows going after lambs but the farmer ship those lambs on terrible journeys then the poor animal is given a slow death having its throat cut. At least the crows only kill to survive. Thank you Jadon for looking after our wildlife. 31/5/2019 11:46:44 am
I don't trust Natural England. They are just looking for an easy way out. How can they really trust the honesty of ALL gun licence holders. Whilst most of us are honest, there are always those who lie and cheat. This whole issue is totally unacceptable. 31/5/2019 12:08:16 pm
The fouling from these birds wouldn’t be any more than you would get from other animals. Could also be that the public are feeding these birds and that would increase the problem. 31/5/2019 02:23:00 pm
Linda Miller has is spot on. Natural England are anything BUT natural 31/5/2019 02:23:04 pm
Hi.
Gill Didlick
31/5/2019 06:12:26 pm
It is not birds that need culling it's human beings. No licences should be issued to shoot wildlife, no doubt they will stop when the species are endangered. It is because of the over population of humans that this is happening, perhaps these idiots think that humans deserve to live but not animals. Typical.
Liz Crosland
4/6/2019 08:58:57 pm
I know from personal experience Natural England cannot be trusted and when their failings are brought to the fore they come up with the usual excuses eg an oversight etc.
Angie Manton
30/5/2019 05:23:57 pm
wow, its disgusting that nests are being destroyed also, how dare they? This whole practise is wrong, if people dont like the wildlife, they don't have to go there.
Trish
30/5/2019 06:04:43 pm
Well said Angie. I completely agree. It seems 'Natural' England is anything but Natural and does not support natural environments but panders to human demands all too often. I wonder if there was also a financial concern for the licensee in some way connected to the number of people visiting the area in question. I absolutely don't believe a word of NE's explanation. I also find it really difficult to accept their stance on reporting back to them. It's just ridiculous and so open to abuse on a grand scale. Lunacy!
rosemary barbar allen
30/5/2019 06:29:52 pm
totally agree
Marcia Cox
30/5/2019 05:25:42 pm
Who was at the pond first, The Coots or the visitors?
Jim johnston
30/5/2019 05:26:49 pm
What on earth do they have kill coots they do know harm shame in these people.
John Mitchell
30/5/2019 05:27:20 pm
Where's their evidence that fouling is a health risk. Unmonitored licences are a joke. Further no licences should be issued for any reason. Outrageous only so that the rubberneckers don't get a wee bit o keech on them. This is about commercial exploitation AGAIN.
Helen Horsley
30/5/2019 06:04:20 pm
I know! I was thinking, it's a nature reserve! People come there to experience nature! If they are concerned about bird poop on the paths, surely you just advise them to wear wellies and not to eat their lunch off the path! I can't believe that bird poop really presents H & S risk in a nature reserve. Appalling.
margaret Pintilie
30/5/2019 06:54:18 pm
I totally agree, wear wellies. The whole point of going to a nature reserve is to get close to the wildlife. What has gone wrong with the world. We seem to feel the need to control everything except the human population!
Sue
30/5/2019 05:28:14 pm
You cannot call your self natural England if you kill native wildlife. Coots will drown their offspring if overburdened. It’s not your job to choose which species are allowed to survive. Human impact is the problem and humans have upset the balance of nature by over their breeding.
Rosemary Rees
30/5/2019 05:34:26 pm
What harm are these coots doing apart from getting in the way of human visitors? Coots (or any other bird or animal, come to that), are not a commodity to be fashioned to suit those who wish to view them.
Bernadette Josephine
30/5/2019 05:49:38 pm
who are the people receiving this licence and how is it policed - i think there is many comments in their reply that need clarification
Kathleen Daly
30/5/2019 06:12:45 pm
So agree with you Sue. I counted over 100 coots in St James's Park, London, a month ago-will /has Natural England issue(d) licences to cull those birds too? I was shocked enough by licences to kill birds of prey and robins, but this is even more ridiculous.
Sheila Sharpe
30/5/2019 05:29:27 pm
why is it always the safety and well being of humans that is considered first?
Sue
30/5/2019 06:09:51 pm
Totally agree, and to add insult to injury the site sits next to a nature reserve. It’s the humans that need training. And when are we going to address the white elephant in the room about the over population of humans on the entire planet, when are we going to address the birth rate eh!
P W
30/5/2019 05:30:55 pm
Could "Natural" England explain what is natural about killing large numbers of birds? As lady above says "who was there first"? No wonder wildlife is being sanitised out of existence.
linda plummer
30/5/2019 05:31:51 pm
Why are we killing any birds?
Keith Plumb
30/5/2019 06:17:45 pm
Linda, I completely agree. We need much better ways to live in harmony.
Jeanette Suttie
30/5/2019 05:32:09 pm
Mustn’t inconvenience humans -leave the coots alone - don’t like it don’t go
Malcolm Lowe
30/5/2019 05:32:38 pm
Why is this bunch of criminals going under the title of 'Natural England'? The department should be renamed 'Destruction of Natural England'.
Carol Powney
30/5/2019 05:34:32 pm
When will humans learn to live in harmony with other living creatures. The coots have as much right to live or try to live as the creatures that comprise of Natural England.
Tipdodger
31/5/2019 10:33:25 am
Why "someone with learning difficulties"? or did you mean someone from Natural England
Susan Reid
30/5/2019 05:35:28 pm
We shouldn't be killing any wildlife at all. We are in the Sixth Mass Extinction and should be protecting all wildlife.
David Reid
30/5/2019 05:36:47 pm
Keep up the good work. I don't think Coots are in any danger as I see them wherever I visit a watery nature site near Portsmouth. Also when visiting our Daughter in Australia where they appear to have emigrated. 😁
Jason Watts
30/5/2019 05:38:24 pm
Shame on Natural England for permitting this over something that is done naturally by every creature. Why not just hose down the public area regularly instead of killing the birds and destroying their nests? I disgusted that this is allowed to happen for such a minor inconvenience
Julie
2/6/2019 04:53:13 pm
I totally agree. That makes a lot more sense than killing the poor innocent birds and destroying their nests just for something all creatures do naturally.
Sue Brooks
30/5/2019 05:38:28 pm
The evil bastards that own guns shoot innocent birds and any thing else they take a fancy to blast out of existence because they enjoy it.
PAMELA PREEDY
30/5/2019 07:55:46 pm
Couldn't agree more, Sue. Fewer humans, happier planet for the rest of the animals.
Janet Crooks
30/5/2019 05:40:51 pm
I think shooting any birds is disgusting birds have just as much right to be here as humans. Let's face it humans pollute land and leave rubbish everywhere. Including the sea with plastics and other rubbish. Let's get a grip on hunters of any kind.
Abdiel
30/5/2019 05:40:55 pm
If a bird population is "too large" (because men have killed their predators, but that's another story), there are many non-harmful means at our disposal to deal with that.
Carole E
30/5/2019 05:41:23 pm
I thought Natural England would support our wildlife & help protect our countryside. Do they not think that visitors go to these areas wanting to see the birds & animals- they would be horrified if they knew that birds had been culled for their benefit to keep the area cleaner. Get volunteers to help clean the area regularly it is diabolical that birds are killed for such reasons. Habitats are being destroyed on a daily basis with all the building, new roads & the dreadful HS2. Surely over population is caused by our society itself- leaving less areas for birds to live. This is disgraceful & so unnessary. 30/5/2019 05:43:49 pm
These so called gentlemen/gentlewomen are nothing as described in the two words. The birds have no self defense against humans, if one could call them that?
Maralyn may
30/5/2019 05:43:51 pm
I wonder what is our environment minister doing about this wholesale murder of our beautiful birds, the reasons that are given by these people who want. the licenses just don’t add up. Natural England are not fit for purpose.
Steve Burrell
30/5/2019 06:03:15 pm
He's too busy lining up for PM. They all have their priorities wrong
Jeremy Moore
30/5/2019 05:46:22 pm
When I worked with Parcs Canada in Alberta it was stressed to all visitors to the Park that the wildlife had precedent over ALL human activity. Visitors were told to only walk in single file along trails. No dogs were allowed!! Visitor numbers were counted daily and the Park closed when it was deemed to be " full". Natural England is a joke putting visitors to a lake before wildlife. No wonder wildlife is declining so rapidly in this Country when Natural England issues culling licenses because birds are defacating in visitor areas.
Roger Mew
30/5/2019 05:52:45 pm
There ought to be a sign hing up, "we shoot cootes" , or better "we destroy wildlife!" Perhaps a sign hung up saying that would be a good thing, perhaps the so called authority might like to make it a condition of the licence!
Ray Winfield
30/5/2019 05:55:39 pm
A bloody disgrace. Once again the cleansing of our country side is being managed by pen pushing civil servants for and on behalf of landed gentry and no doubt a number of local wild fowl butchers who will make money out of the birds who have been murdered.
trev
30/5/2019 05:55:56 pm
No it's NOT acceptable. They shouldn't be shooting Coots or any other birds, or destroying nests. I find the whole thing abhorrent and think it is absolutely disgusting.
Alicia
30/5/2019 05:55:56 pm
Everything on this planet is entitled to life and nature contributes more than we humans do.
Joyce Williams
30/5/2019 06:00:10 pm
Humans do more damage to the planet than anything else . Natural England stop giving out licences to kill birds .
Sonia
30/5/2019 06:00:34 pm
Natural England! Surely a misnomer...destroying our flora and fauna in case a member of the public forgets to wash their hands and sues them for getting sick ....shame on you . What about the rights of the animals who were there first to live undisturbed.
Elaine Parkin
30/5/2019 06:00:35 pm
If we are to have wildlife, people need to accommodate it, not eradicate it because it's messy or 'in the way.' Birds need all the help they can get; what with the astonishingly cruel practice of 'netting, ' loss of habitat, extreme weather, hunting and scarcer food, they don't deserve to be shot for no reason - it's madness. How can nature thrive like this? I can accept that crows and ravens do need culling; we have upset the balance of everything and there are too many of them, taking baby birds and eggs. However, I also wish a naturalist in the public eye would spell out the greatest killer of all - household cats which destroy 275 million mammals including over 70 million birds a year. It's a pointless waste of wildlife and very sad as there are numerous alternatives; no one has to keep one.
Linda Wilson
30/5/2019 06:01:31 pm
Good grief to kill an animal because it defecates is just ludicrous. Here we are again entering the territory of another species and getting rid of it for doing what it does where it lives. We ARE the problem everywhere we go we bully other species out of their homes and then call them "pests" in order to eradicate or control them almost guilt free when it is us that need controlling.
Adrienne Jessop
30/5/2019 06:02:59 pm
How can humans learn to live with the natural world if they cannot even tolerate droppings from the harmless coot
John Dyda
30/5/2019 06:04:18 pm
Once again it's health and safety gone way over the top. Maybe they could issue licences to shoot people who may affect the health and safety of the birds.
UnkleJon
30/5/2019 06:04:47 pm
Given what's happening re Boris (Trump) Johnson's blatant misuse of facts. I think we should hold these people to account for lying to us. It is there in the reply - they deny anything and then accept tey missed "one" case. How many more have they purposefully missed to fit their claims? We should ask them up front
Peter Wright
30/5/2019 06:10:07 pm
Wonder how much litter / trash / dog waste was left by those members of the public visiting - perhaps the coots should be issued with licenses to shoot members of the public who foul (no pun) their environment.
UnkleJon
30/5/2019 06:13:39 pm
Spot on Peter - Seriously Bird Mess around a bird sanctuary what do they expect, gold and jewels
Linda Owen
30/5/2019 06:12:46 pm
Natural England is a disgrace - funded from the public purse to protect our flora and fauna and in actual fact facilitating a 'bit of fun' for the shooting fraternity.
Fiona Crabtree
30/5/2019 06:14:56 pm
I have generally found visitors to lakes and ponds want to see wildlife and water birds.Thats why they go there. how happy would these visitors be if they found out what the landowner was doing.
Paul Cooper
30/5/2019 06:18:06 pm
no checks or controls means system open to abuse. If it was a buisiness it would have to justify its decisions & be accountable with checks afterwards.
Christine Williams
30/5/2019 06:19:29 pm
It doesn't matter if there is 10 or 100 on a licence there is no justification for killing Coots end of when will we stop needless destruction. Nature doesn't need us to keep interfering it can balance itself when left alone to do so
John Barker
30/5/2019 08:08:43 pm
Be careful with the idea that, "Nature doesn't need us to keep interfering - it can balance itself when left alone to do so". Yes it will balance itself but if left alone it will keep changing. So, left alone, old meadows and pastures with beautiful wild flowers, a wide range of butterflies and other insects would be killed never to return, if dense scrub is left to naturally take over. That in turn naturally changes to "secondary" woodland - "trees with weeds" - with a tangle of stinging nettles and common cleavers. That is why tree planting can never replace true woodlands. Those are "primary" and "ancient" woodlands which are often referred to as "semi-natural" at best. If not managed, many lose their carpets of increasingly uncommon and rare wild flowers. Nature reserves are "managed" or deliberately interfered with, for the benefit of certain wildlife. Most ponds have not appeared naturally, so a natural balance would mean very few if any in the landscape. If left alone, they would fill with leaf litter and become useless to amphibians. Leave all ponds to naturally disappear and amphibian numbers will "balance" accordingly, i.e. disappear along with the ponds. If fish take off in ponds, newt numbers could "balance" to zero and so on. We are now at the stage where nature balances to whatever we do and don't do in the landscape. More often than not, it does need us to interfere but in carefully considered ways.
Keith Plumb
30/5/2019 06:21:35 pm
We need to face one problem which is so often overlooked, namely the human population. We need to give serious consideration to how we overcome the continued growth of the human population so that there is space for the natural world.
John Barker
30/5/2019 06:22:48 pm
One swallow doesn't make a summer and one anecdote doesn't explain the full shocking list which includes wrens, swallows, house martins, treecreepers, blackcaps and other warblers, house sparrows, curlews, dunnocks, linnets, long-tailed tits and skylarks. Even in the case of the few coots, why was trapping and removal to an alternative site not imposed? Was the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust invited to offer a solution, if in fact one was needed? Presumably, it doesn't demand that all of its many large birds be fitted with butt plugs, not least because its patron Queen Elizabeth II and president Prince Charles, would not approve.
Andrew Jackson
30/5/2019 06:31:45 pm
Sadly, there is no sign of vested interests and commercial gain giving the slightest ground to our man-made series of catastrophes. We declare a national emergency, then it's "business as before". It sickens me. Andrew Jackson and many others make a central point. There are too many humans, not just too many wilfully destructive humans, but too many of the species. I would like to say that EVERY adjustment made by humans in the population of other species MUST be by reducing it. We cannot directly increase the numbers of any species, though we can, and have, as many have pointed out, disastrously affected the balance in our even more ignorant past. If we over-correct the complex balance, as we often do, we do even more harm, requiring, in NE's view, another reduction in another species, to balance things out. The general tendency is therefore UNAVOIDABLY the chaotic, unpredictable, exponential REDUCTION in the numbers of all species. If, in our ignorance, our clumsiness, our prior assessment complicated in many cases by the atavistic instinct to shed blood (itself incomprehensible to me and to many others), we keep on getting it wrong we shall eventually destroy life on Earth. But we depend on other species ourselves. The Planet's own homoeostatic processes will then destroy us. The tipping point is already imminent. Unless humans immediately learn spiritual maturity en masse, not merely one here and a couple there as at present, we shall bring about the human species' own sudden destruction by the Planet which has been trying to nurture us (and other species) but has failed because of our own stupidity and arrogance. We shall be the victims of our own ignorant meddling.
Debbie Kimble
30/5/2019 06:36:08 pm
I totally agree with everyone here......this needs to be stopped immediately. All we can do is start putting serious pressure on Natural England and the government over this as well as get this really out in the open so EVERYONE hears what's being done which in turn puts more pressure on Natural England and the government. What are local MP's saying about this?
Linda Badham
30/5/2019 06:40:51 pm
NO HUMAN IS ABOVE NATURE. LEAVE THE BIRDS AND DUCKS ALONE. NATURE HAS ITS OWN RULES AND THE DUMB IDIOTIC PATHETIC "HUMANS" WHO GO AGAINST NATURE NO NOTHING !!
Phill
30/5/2019 06:52:12 pm
The only reason there are so many is because their natural predators have been hunted for sport and we`re continually taking their habitats, they are doing the same things they have been doing for millennia and we, as usual are encroaching and destroying.
Jacky Westoby
30/5/2019 06:52:28 pm
Oh, f.f.s, whatever next? Coots-tiny little harmless birds, for the love of God, when is this insanity going to end? They were on the planet before us, theyve got more right to defecate than we have, and they make considerable less mess than any human. The world has gone fucking mad.
Jif Marsh
30/5/2019 07:00:47 pm
I am still trying to figure out how a place can have 200 Coots! I have never seen a place that has that many as natural predators would control the numbers, the most I have seen is about 8 and that is a huge lake complex. The fact actually is that the Coot population is unnatural due to Foxes who would raid the nests etc, being persecuted.
Kevin Wiles
30/5/2019 07:10:16 pm
Just stop this unnecessary murder of our birds, if you are stupid enough to consume bird poo it is you that should be controlled NOT the birds.
Joyce Affleck
30/5/2019 07:31:23 pm
Just so wrong to be killing any birds. How can people want to kill coots just because they 'make a mess' - so do people! And the attacks on the corvids - ravens, rooks, crows, starlings - are truly wicked. These are highly intelligent creatures which deserve our respect.
Geoff Halpin
30/5/2019 07:37:23 pm
I Find It Very difficult to Understand the Logic Coots are being killed Because They Foul Up Parks During Certain times Of The year ? Now Parks Are they Not the Wildlife's Home ? And as such anyone going into a park is Visiting Their Home ! Now Who Is Complaining And Why have there Not Been Placed Warnings to The Seasons Problems ? Now Can We Have a List of ALL Species that are under Threat and WHY ? Coots have been around a very long time and I have Not been Told Why they are Being Threatened ! Anyone Visiting Someone Else's home Should RESPECT That They Are Only Visiting And Not Have Any RIGHT To Complain ! You Do Not Live Next To A Pig Farm And Complain About The Smell ??? OR DO YOU ???
Carol Edwards
30/5/2019 07:39:13 pm
I had no idea that this was happening to coots!! As Jacky said, when is this insanity going to end??! If humans do not like walking where there might be a bit of coot poo, then don't go there. I have never seen a large number of coots, ever. On our local lakes there may be one or two families. UN-natural England should stop this immediately!
Terry Platt
30/5/2019 07:43:14 pm
A few years ago, I was waylaid by 2 arrogant council officials, who came out of the back door of the local Sainsbury's, the moment I had pulled a pack of bread rolls out of my bag and threw a few bits to the pigeons. The outside area was a car park, with a small space set aside for people to sit on concrete blocks to eat their lunch. These men then told me to stop feeding the pigeons, or they would fine me. I laughed and said 'A fine - just for throwing a few bits of bread to the pigeons? You gotta be joking'. I asked how much the fine was, and was told £55. I laughed again, threw the 2 remaining bits of bread still in my hand to the birds, and closed my bag - only to have one of them say 'Right, we really are going to fine you now'. In less time than it took to write out the fine slip, the bread - and the pigeons - had vanished. I told the men that I was a pensioner, and they would wait for ever for the money. I ignored all the dozens of letters the council sent me, each one with the fine going up still further, till it got to about £650. Then one day, I found that my pension credit was £5 short each week - and when I made enquiries as to why, I was rudely informed that I had broken a local bye-law by feeding pigeons when I was told not to. And were there any notices up anywhere, to say 'Don't feed the pigeons - fine £55'? No, and there are none still, about 8 years later. I wonder how much of that fine went to wiping out the winged scum from our exclusively human spaces, where birds and wildfowl tread at their peril?
PAMELA PREEDY
30/5/2019 07:52:10 pm
What a lot of f****** twaddle these people come out with! I have planted my back garden as a bird garden and feed the sparrows, robins, blackbirds and other visitors. Guess what - they make a mess! I rather thought they would, being a rational person. So I regularly swill it clean with a hosepipe. Destroying nests and killing birds is cruel and wrong, and to cite bird mess as a reason is pathetic. I hate those people and all who think wildlife is expendable.
Tony Howells
30/5/2019 07:57:29 pm
I wonder if a slightly different logic might be employed in that when a license is in the process of being issued it has to be published and displayed like planning permission, thus allowing those who frequent the park, play area see what is being done in there names and they have the ability to object or chose not to go to the place, thus making any places that acts like this on our behalf less sustainable!!
Jay
31/5/2019 11:42:58 am
Actually, that's a great idea to put up notices regarding impending culls. There's far too much secrecy in things like this, and a public that's kept in the dark has no chance to voice an opinion. I have little faith in humanity in general, but even I can't believe that most visitors to parks would be happy to know the birds were being "managed" in this way.
John Handford
30/5/2019 08:00:57 pm
why do they have to cull in the first place ,what is their point ,what harm do coots do ?
Ernie Scales
30/5/2019 08:11:58 pm
It's amazing how much mess and detritus can be removed with a hose. Remote location? It's now possible to buy battery operated pressure washers but perhaps NE haven't heard of them or prefer the simpler solution of destruction.
Andrew Holder
30/5/2019 08:34:25 pm
This is the same Natural England that licensed the slaughter of thirty two thousand Badgers in 2018. Despite the government expert committee deeming it as "ineffective and inhumane".
Peter A Thompson
30/5/2019 09:22:58 pm
Coot foul on the paths? What about the incomer the Canadian Geese? They are industrial in fouling a lakeside and are aggressive to the public.
Andrew Holder
30/5/2019 11:09:09 pm
Peter Thompson, you really don't get it do you? These are all living beings, every one has as much right to life as another, How dare you talk about "incomers". They are Geese, plain as. And as for the lambs, there are way, way too many sheep, especially here in Scotland. Corvids are super intelligent creatures, doing what they do, if you don't want lambs with their eyes pecked out then stop raising lambs for slaughter, it's that simple. You see, not everyone agrees with your kind of species-ism. I look forward to the day when we never see a lamb in a field, with eyes or no eyes. Well done Chris Packham, he is an absolute hero.
lfo2vco
30/5/2019 09:38:14 pm
To issue a licence to destroy deceased birds or where the numbers of birds have grown too large for their environment to support a healthy flock is one thing.
Pippa Hurley
30/5/2019 10:04:58 pm
Complete bunch of doublespeak! This is obfuscation of the highest order! No doubt they run night classes in it! Can I suggest you run another petition on the YOU GOV site? When reaching 100,000 signatures, these ptitions HAVE to be considered for parliamentary debate! 30/5/2019 10:06:41 pm
I am totally shocked that these beautiful birds are slaughtered!! Natural England should be made publically responsible for the death and destruction of Englands declining wildlife! The fact that they 'issue dodgy licences' to kill is not acceptable!
jess
30/5/2019 11:14:51 pm
The only place I see coots down here in Cornwall now is on the Lizard, one particular pond.,used to see them everywhere growing up in sussex, but now rare sitings. No doubt they are locally abundant some places, but i'm sure not seeing them here, the odd moorhen down on the river fowey.... :'(
Kathleen Danby
31/5/2019 02:12:59 am
I am putting the remainder of my comment in inverted commas, as it is made "tongue in cheek", to illustrate the absurdity of this situation, and the "double talk" employed by these evil self-serving organisations to justify their wanton destruction of every species on earth (including our own).
Sally Parker
31/5/2019 07:09:46 am
Unfortunately we live in a world where humans have come to feel that only they matter. I don't believe we have the right to destroy any other living creature just because its presence is inconvenient to us. In fact the creatures causing the most mess and destruction on the planet are human. We must learn to live with the rest of the natural world and continue fighting to stop needless killing of wildlife.
Ann Brassington
31/5/2019 11:01:40 am
I totally agree with you Sally. All the documentaries and news reports over the past few months have demonstrated that we humans are wholly responsible for messing up this beautiful planet because it would seem only we matter with our selfish lifestyles.
Louise Burns
31/5/2019 07:16:27 am
So they make a park and a nature reserve that obviously really appeals to birds and then they shoot/otherwise kill the birds for going there? Just to make some people less bothered by their droppings?
Nicky Mack
31/5/2019 09:18:32 am
Tosh! We have a similar issue here in Scotland with SNH and the GL03 license particularly. The definitions of “operator” needs addressing immediately and liability for recording such destruction should be tightened and more criminalised to make folk accountable. Sickens me to my pit that this current world we live in seems so devout to destroying our natural world.
Jenny
31/5/2019 10:35:04 am
Our beautiful birds and in fact all wildlife is continually at risk form stupid humans who really have little idea about the delicate balance which nature keeps. Human beings continually interfere simply to cater to their own ends. The problem is that nature will get back in some form or another.
Alan A
31/5/2019 10:55:31 am
Am I misinterpreting the reply from Natural England? It appears to imply methods used to remove coots and their nests should be unobtrusive and hidden from public view. Don't want to upset,offend or destroy the idllyic impression conveyed to visitors and their children do we.
Tim Mellor
31/5/2019 11:24:53 am
Britain is choking on plastic, bees are being wiped out by pesticides and power stations continue to burn thousands of tonnes of coal per hour and they are concerned about a bit of coot crap?
Geoffrey WHITE
31/5/2019 12:10:26 pm
Quote from Natural England 31/5/2019 02:30:10 pm
Just one further comment; It really is good to see that other people too are not being blinded by these so-called do-gooder wildlife organisations.
Suzanne D.
31/5/2019 02:35:39 pm
Oh dear, what has the human race come to... afraid of Coot "poo" (to use sophisticated language) ?
David Britton
31/5/2019 04:40:56 pm
I wonder how many of the weird people who complain about Coot poo on their shoes use our open spaces as a dog toilet. Bird poo is completely innocuous whereas dog poo on your shoes is disgusting. The powers that be must be pretty pathetic to react to winging about Coot poo.
Beverley Zywina
31/5/2019 04:50:36 pm
If we are moaning about the amount of coot poo , why doesn't someone start having a moan about dog poo
Trish
31/5/2019 05:04:10 pm
Thanks for bringing this to our attention Jason.
Ann Mills
1/6/2019 01:26:21 pm
Issue a licence to buy a weapon and it will be used in most cases to kill or maim with some excuse to justify their actions
Helen
3/6/2019 09:54:35 am
so bird-scarers, gas-guns, visual deterrents and shooting are inappropriate because the site lies close to a nature reserve and has large numbers of visitors throughout the year. Easily solved, they could put signs up at the reserve stating that these methods are being used. Better that than the killing of birds
Francesco Deiure
3/6/2019 09:33:15 pm
If a politician is involved it will always start with a "Well" and you know that the mirrors are coming out!
Frances Sabey
4/6/2019 05:35:09 pm
I agree with all the comments made but haven't noticed anyone suggesting taking action! If the places that had licences issued had a board put up explaining what was being, or had been done, maybe the public using the sites might give an opinion! It may be that they are as horrified as we are! Leave a Reply. |
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