Readers of the County Press may remember the front page article a few weeks ago, promoting the fact that baby rooks had been added to the menu of The Taverners pub in Godshill.
The subject raised some debate over on the VB forum at the same time, with mixed views being shared.
According to Police, a 45 year old man from Ryde was arrested on 9th June on suspicion of supplying legally-protected birds to the pub.
“Rooks have to be shot
when they just come out of the nest”
In the CP article, Roger Serjent, the owner of the pub said, “I put it on last year and it proved very popular both … There is a limited quantity of 30 portions this year. The reason why there is a limit is that the rooks have to be shot when they just come out of the nest and before they fly, otherwise they quickly become tough. It provides a different dish and controls numbers of a bird that is recognised as affecting songbird populations.”
A report in The Mirror on last Saturday claimed that the charge carries a maximum prison sentence of six months or a £5,000 fine.
We called The Taverners today, Roger declined to comment.
Police confirm arrest
Police sent us the following statement when we queried the case with them today.
Police can confirm they are investigating allegations of criminal offences involving the shooting and sale of rooks on the Isle of Wight.
Specialist wildlife crime officers are working with Natural England, Isle of Wight Council and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).
A 45-year-old man from Ryde, Isle of Wight was arrested by police on June 9, 2011 on suspicion of committing offences under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. He was released on street bail until June 24, 2011 pending further enquiries.
Thanks to VB reader, Seb, for giving us the heads-up.
Update
The law around it
We had no idea that killing Rooks was illegal, so for those of you who are interested, we’ve embedded a Natural England document about the law around the license covering Rooks and other birds.
(Did you know? – You can view the document below at full-screen simply by clicking on the left-most graphic, to the right of the Scribd word, on the grey bar at the bottom of each document.)
License details around Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981
