Enraged Chris Packham brandishes dead bird of prey in video protesting grouse shooting

Chris Packham has posted an enraged rant at, “One of the most vile wildlife crimes committed” as he launched a protest again grouse shooting.

The Springwatch presenter brandished the dead body of a Hen Harrier, which he labeled a “natural treasure” after the bird of prey was found caught in a spring trap on a grouse moor in Scotland.

Packham, 58, said: “Beautiful wasn’t it? This is a dead adult, male, Hen Harrier and up until recently it was ghosting around over a grouse moor, doing its job, playing an important ecological role as a top of the food chain predator.

Read more: Chris Packham has received death threats over shooting campaign

“But more than it was natural treasure. And they’re rare, there’s not many of them. And now there’s one less.

“Because this bird was trapped in a spring trap that had snapped closed on its leg and it was struggling in that spring trap for we don’t know how log, in the baking sun, dehydrating in agony.

“It was rescued they brought it to a vet, they did everything they could to keep it alive, but they couldn’t and it had to be euthenased. I can’t tell you how angry I am about that. How angry lots of people are about that.

“Driven grouse shooting is killing shooting.”

Read more: Chris Packham warned not to attend festival due to death threats

Several Twitter users reacting to Packham’s video have called upon Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to outlaw the practice of using spring traps.

Spring traps are used to kill foxes, stoats and weasels in order to protect the grouse bred for shooting on the moors of Scotland. But there is nothing to prevent birds of prey becoming caught in the traps. Some traps are even illegally set with the aim of catching birds of prey.

Wildlife presenter Packham has been the target of death threats over his ongoing ant-shooting campaign.