Rare bird vanishes in 'Bermuda Triangle' area after harness deliberately cut

A rare hen harrier has vanished after its satellite tag was found on a Welsh moorland dubbed one of the "most notorious bird of prey persecution hotspots" in the UK by a conservation charity.

The RSPB has dubbed Ruabon Moor, near Wrexham, a "Bermuda Triangle" due to several hen harriers going missing, their monitoring tags found discarded while others stopped working.

Sgt Peter Evans, from North Wales Police, said a forensic investigation showed the bird's harness in the latest case had been "intentionally severed".

It fledged from a nest on National Trust land in the Peak District after being tagged by the RSPB and was later recorded on the protected Welsh moorland which is home to red grouse.

Mark Thomas, RSPB head of investigations, said the three-month-old was on the site for "just three days... before it vanished in highly suspicious circumstances" last August.

"A healthy young bird fledged from a safe area in the Peak District National Park and, sadly, chose to settle in Wales' 'Bermuda Triangle' - the most notorious bird of prey persecution hotspot in the country.

"We suspect the criminal shot the harrier, cut the harness off the hen harrier's body, discarded the tag and disposed of the body in separate locations to avoid detection.

"This area is a crime hotspot for hen harriers and other birds of prey and this has to stop."

The last reported incident happened in August but there have been others:

• Three tags were recovered from five hen harriers which had suffered suspected persecution between 2018 and 2026
• Satellite tags on two more "suddenly and suspiciously stopped transmitting without sign of malfunction", said the RSPB
• Data from another suggested it had been interfered with prior to the bird's death
• Two others were found to have had their harnesses damaged "consistent with human involvement"

Sgt Evans from North Wales Police's rural crime team said investigations into the last incident had proved inconclusive.

"The circumstances surrounding the bird's disappearance are being treated as suspicious," he said.

"Hen harriers are a rare and protected species in Wales, making incidents of this nature particularly concerning."

All wild birds are legally protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and prosecutions could lead to fines or imprisonment.

Julian Hughes, RSPB Cymru head of species, said it had provided a dossier of its evidence to environmental regulator Natural Resources Wales amid calls for regulation of the grouse-shooting industry.

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (Basc), which is based in Wrexham and campaigns for sustainable grouse shooting, has said previously that it has a "zero-tolerance declaration on the illegal killing of birds of prey".