Red kite killer must be charged

THE shooting dead of a red kite in Co Wicklow proves some firearm owners operate via the motto, “If it flies, it dies.”

Ireland’s live shooting community portray themselves as conservationists and caretakers of the countryside — but they fail to notice that it is them who are responsible for the massive amount of slaughter inflicted on Irish wildlife each year.

The conservation of Irish wildlife and its habitat does not and never did depend on the actions of those who kill wildlife for fun. They contribute nothing but terror and death to the issue and can rightly be called rural vandals.