MAN WHO BAITED BIRDS OF PREY WITH RAT POISON ON LANDOWNER FEUD SENTENCED
A man named Clive Burgoyne, aged 38 and residing in Forfar, Angus, was found guilty of targeting birds of prey with pheasants treated with rat poison as part of a dispute with a neighboring landowner over shooting rights.Prosecutors indicated that Burgoyne left behind four gutted pheasant bodies filled with rodenticide, a substance known to cause internal bleeding, intending to injure or kill the birds of prey.
During a hearing at Forfar Sheriff Court on April 22, Burgoyne admitted to violating wildlife laws between January and February 2023.
He was subsequently sentenced to 135 hours of unpaid community work within a year, following a community payback order issued by the court.
Authorities highlighted that Burgoyne's actions posed a serious risk to wildlife, especially predatory birds, given the lethal nature of the rat poison used—a toxin that can be fatal after a single ingestion.
Witnesses had seen Burgoyne traveling near the Guynd estate, close to Arbroath, on February 3, 2023.
This was later corroborated when officials discovered the carcasses of dead pheasants, some with their breasts removed and covered in grains, seeds, and a blue liquid identified as rodenticide.
DNA testing linked Burgoyne to the carcasses, and forensic evidence confirmed they had been purposefully prepared to harm wildlife.
This case served to reaffirm Scotland’s commitment to wildlife conservation and the enforcement of laws protecting the natural environment from cruelty.
