Doncaster: Sparrowhawk found shot dead and glued to stick

Sparrowhawks are protected by law under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981

A protected bird of prey found dead in a ditch had been shot and then glued to a bamboo stick, police have said.

The sparrowhawk, which had been killed with a pellet gun, was dumped in a drainage ditch inside a plastic bag in Thorne, near Doncaster.

It was discovered by a member of the public close to the canal on 10 April.

PC Sarah Barrowcliffe, of South Yorkshire Police, said: "This was a shocking act of violence against a beautiful and defenceless bird."

"Sparrowhawks are a protected species and it is an offence to harm them," she added.

South Yorkshire Police has appealed for information about the shooting.

According to the RSPB, the shooting of birds of prey is a "continuing problem" in the UK.

The organisation's latest Bird Crime report said there had been 137 reports of raptors being killed in 2020, the highest figure the RSPB had ever recorded.