Chris Packham taunted with dead birds by vandals

TV wildlife presenter Chris Packham has been the victim of sick vandals who strung up two dead birds on the gate of his country home.

The BBC nature broadcaster found the two black birds, which appear to be rooks or crows, hanging limply outside his front gate in the New Forest, Hants.

He made the shocking discovery the day after his charity secured a ban on farmers shooting “pest” birds on their land – including rooks and crows.

The Springwatch presenter snapped a photo, which he has shared on Twitter with his 300,000 followers. He also said he had reported the incident to police.

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His Tweet reads: “This was my gate this morning. It was vandalised. Hants Police and lawyers have been informed.”

Packham then tagged a number of countryside and nature organisations in his Tweet, and asked: “Can I ask you to comment on whether you condone this?”

The vandalism comes just a day after the campaigning environmentalist succeeded in securing a ban on farmers shooting “pest” birds on their land.

Natural England issued General Licences 04, 05 and 06 on January 1 this year, allowing the killing of 16 wild bird species, including several members of the crow family.

But the General Licences were short-lived, as Chris Packham responded in February, setting up not-for-profit organisation Wild Justice alongside campaigners Dr Mark Avery and Dr Ruth Tingey.

The premise of Wild Justice, Packham said, is to “work with the laws we’ve got to seek real justice for our wildlife.”

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The three campaigners pledged to “reform, refine or renew those laws we have to ensure that justice can be properly realised.”

“Wild Justice will at last be the voice of those victims and it will be heard, and justice will be served,” the organisation pledges.

In the face of a legal challenge from Packham, Dr Avery and Dr Tingey, Natural England has been forced to revoke its General Licences.

It is unclear as yet as to whether the two birds were strung up outside Packham’s home in retaliation.

But around 73,000 people have signed a petition in the last 24 hours, calling for the BBC to sack Chris Packham as a presenter.