Sadness over Red Kite

SIR, — It was with great sadness and dismay that I learnt of the sickening shooting of a Red Kite in Moneyslane. It is deeply disappointing that this most vulnerable of birds appears to have been deliberately targeted. 

The Red Kite is not only a species of tremendous beauty but is in serious danger with numbers extremely low at just 20 breeding pairs across Northern Ireland. 

I had been encouraged by the fact that we had not heard of instances like this since a similar incident in Crossgar in 2014 and it is a real shame that we have seen this happen again three years on. 

I would appeal to anyone who has information of this attack or any abuse of our local wildlife to report it to the PSNI. Senseless attacks on such defenceless and endangered creatures is detrimental to an already fragile ecosystem and must be condemned and stopped.

Yours etc,

JAMIE KENNEDY,

Green Party.