Wildlife reintroduction - Killing flies in face of atonement

THE mean spiritedness and ignorance shown by the person who shot and killed one of the 30 red kites reintroduced to Wicklow almost six weeks ago is so staggering that it brings shame on us all.

The red kite project is just one of at least three in the Republic where birds of prey are being reintroduced to habitats they once graced, before they were made extinct by man’s violent intervention.

Just yesterday, the white-tailed eagle project in Killarney National Park expanded with the release of a further 15 birds. In Donegal the golden eagle project continues in Glenveagh National Park. Neither of these projects have attracted the attentions of someone so churlish as to kill one of the magnificent birds.

These projects are about much more than the release of birds of prey. They are a recognition that man has had, in too many instances, too profound an impact on the world around him and that efforts must be made to undo some of the damage.

It is significant that these programmes have the complete support of the National Association of Regional Game Councils, the umbrella organisation for Ireland’s game shooting fraternity. Their immediate and unequivocal condemnation of the sorry event — ironically carried out during National Heritage Week — gives the lie to those who suggest field sports organisations have no role in or interest in conservation projects.

We can only hope that the tragic person who shot the Wicklow red kite acted through ignorance, as ignorance can be confronted much more easily than the depth of malice required to knowingly shoot any species that has been reintroduced to a habit in an effort to repopulate an area it once thrived in.

These inspiring efforts should be recognised for what they are and supported by each and everyone of us; they are no less than an attempted atonement with an environment we have so often misused terribly.