Cage & Aviary Birds Magazine No.5795 Silver-Eared Mesias Back Issue

THIS WAS ANOTHER example of a campaigning charity prioritising its own political interests in criminal proceedings, which in my view is inexcusable.” British Bird Council (BBC) chairman Chris Boyce has recently voiced, in vehement terms, what all birdkeepers know: that the
RSPCA’s prosecutions policy concerning British species has
nothing to do with preventing cruelty and everything to do
with driving a legitimate pastime into extinction.
But that quote wasn’t made by Mr Boyce. It came from
one Jamie Foster, a lawyer who last September defended a
Somerset man whom the RSPCA was prosecuting for
illegal fox-hunting. The man pleaded guilty and was fined
£500; a further £500 was awarded in costs, though the
RSPCA was demanding nearly 10 times as much. Sounds
familiar, eh? The fact is that after years of bullying birdkeepers, the
RSPCA has caught a cold by picking on an interest group
with rather more clout, namely the Countryside Alliance.
It has also made some powerful enemies in the
mainstream media, notably The Times and Daily Telegraph.
So much stick has the charity copped for spending huge
sums of donated money on prosecutions that it has
commissioned an independent policy review. You can read
more about this and the BBC’s contribution on page 4.
What will the “independent” review conclude? It’s
tempting to be cynical, of course, but for now let’s just
enjoy the irony of the situation, that the basically workingclass
hobby of British birdkeeping has suddenly acquired
some powerful allies in the ranks of the rich and posh. This
hunt has got plenty of legs in it, I reckon. Tally ho!
But forget the cynicism and politics: a magical springtime week has just put all that stuff in the shade. Now is when we see the best of our birds. Enjoy