Poisoning of red kites a worrying setback for Wicklow reintroduction project

Posted by Bronwen Maher on March 29, 2010 at 10:20 AM

Nessa Childers MEP has described the death of two red kites in Wicklow as a result of poisoning as a “worrying setback” to efforts already underway to reintroduce the birds of prey to the Garden County after an absence of over 200 years.
 
She said, “The red kite was once a familiar native presence in the Irish landscape. As a result of woodland clearances, poisoning and general persecution in the 18th century these beautiful birds became extinct.
 
“Thanks to the support of the Welsh Kite Trust, a project to reintroduce them to Ireland commenced in Wicklow in 2007. The programme to date has been extremely successful but the death of these two red kites is undoubtedly a setback to the ambitious re-introduction programme.
 
“The restoration of the red kite to Ireland is important in terms of increasing our biodiversity. The birds represent no threat whatsoever to livestock as they tend to prey only on small mammals such as rabbits.
 
“The birds are a significant addition in terms of the attraction of tourists to Wicklow. I would hope to see the Wicklow community continue to give their full support to the project and as the population hopefully flourishes, we should look to the example of Gateshead in England’s North-East where their Red Kite Trail has become an important feature of the area’s tourism product.
 
“Ireland has one of the lowest populations of birds of prey in Europe. While today’s sad news is a setback, I know that the Red Kite Project will grow and that the efforts of all involved in the programme will be rewarded as Ireland once again becomes home to these magnificent birds.”

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