A buzzard became trapped in a licensed cage and was unable to escape
A gamekeeper left a buzzard to starve to death after it was caught in a trap used legally for trapping crows.
Jonathan Graham, 30, of Foss, was supposed to have dismantled the trap on the Glenlyon Estate, near Pitlochry, Perth Sheriff Court heard.
After the buzzard got trapped, Graham did not open the cage door wide enough to allow the bird to escape.
He admitted to failing to inspect the trap every 24 hours as he was obliged to do, leading to the bird’s death.
Graham was banned from using trap cages for five years and fined £450.
RSPB Scotland has welcomed the conviction.
When the buzzard became trapped, Graham used a bucket to keep the cage door ajar rather than remove it completely as he should have done, the court heard.
Decomposing remains
Fiscal depute Shona McJannett told the court that gamekeepers could use the licensed cages, but had to carry out checks on them every 24 hours at least.
She said: “In Scotland, all wild birds enjoy a high degree of protection from the law.
“It is vital the cages are checked because they don’t discriminate the birds within them.”
Tayside Police were called to the estate by a walker and found the decomposing remains of a buzzard within the cage on 27 February last year.
Solicitor David McKie, defending, said Graham should have removed the cage door.
He said a fine would mean his client would be “rendered almost unemployable” as a gamekeeper because he would not be able to operate a licence to control wild birds.
Sheriff Robert McCreadie said case involved “a dereliction of the duty owed to all wild birds”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-18616464
NORTH WEST HUNT SABOTEURS 
Solicitor David McKie, defending, said Graham should have removed the cage door.
He said a fine would mean his client would be “rendered almost unemployable” as a gamekeeper because he would not be able to operate a licence to control wild birds….
And this is a bad thing because ?
Clearly only numbskulls choose to do this vile job and therefore all the protection laws in the world aint going to protect anything when such people are left to ‘do the right thing’.
The only way this type of blatant cruelty will end is if ALL types of traps and snares are completely banned forever.
Evil mudering bastard but then thats what game keepers do. He would have deliberatly trapped this buzzard and most definately left the animal to die on purpose. Game keepers and the evil gits that shoot innocent birds are scum and should all be put down. The lengths this scum will go to so they can murder pheasants etc is just beyond belief, they wanted to have all buzzard nests destroyed which DEFRA agreed to (no surprise there,) but had to back down after so many complaints from disgusted people. Shooting should be banned its just not acceptable that idiots are allowed to murder birds for fun and that is what they do. I would personally like to get their guns and ram them up their arse or down their throats and pull the trigger.