Conservationists yesterday demanded the Scottish Government take serious steps to deal with wildlife crime, as nature lovers prepare to march through Inverness in memory of the poisoned Black Isle raptors.
The RSPB has organised a demonstration this afternoon in the city centre to raise awareness of the incident which has left 14 red kites and 5 buzzards dead.
High profile conservationists and local volunteers plan to carry life size cut-outs of the birds through the streets before meeting at High Street around 2pm.
Sir John Lister-Kaye, Scottish chairman of the RSPB, will address the demo before silhouettes of the birds are chalked onto the pavement.
Also speaking will be Scottish Wildlife Trust chairman Allan Bantick.
Yesterday he said that the “unprecedented” public response shows that wildlife crime should be taken more seriously by authorities.
He said: “It is vitally important that environmental organisations put up a united front and say this is unacceptable – this is what is happening on Saturday.
“A poisoning on this scale is a real stain on Scotland’s reputation as a safe haven for wildlife.
“This is an opportunity for the public and the agencies to have a big loud voice and call on the Scottish Government to step up to protect wildlife.”
Pete Mayhew, RSPB senior conservation officer for the north of Scotland, said: “People in our office have been near to tears over this outrage.
“I think the public response has shown how much people care about these birds and the Government should take note of that.
“There has been a perception that wildlife crime is not that important and compared to crimes against humans that is understandable to a degree.
“However, this is a very serious issue which has a knock on effect into other areas.
“It demands to be taken seriously and the authorities now need to treat wildlife crime much more seriously.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Eradicating raptor persecution in Scotland is a high priority for the Scottish Government, and Police Scotland take this extremely seriously.
“That is why we brought in new measures last summer aimed at deterring raptor persecution and maximising the opportunity for detection and for offenders to be tracked down.
“We are also currently consulting on whether or not the Scottish SPCA should have further investigative powers to investigate wildlife crime.”