POLICE are investigating the death of a bird of prey found peppered with shotgun pellets.

Responding to a call from a walker, Jean Thorpe, who runs Ryedale Rehab, retrieved the year-old goshawk from Bransdale, on the North York Moors, on Saturday, and then ordered an x-ray when she became suspicious about the cause of death.

The scan revealed at least five pellets in the bird.

Ms Thorpe contacted wildlife officers with North Yorkshire Police and investigators with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

She said: “North Yorkshire has a terrible reputation for bird of prey cruelty. I’ve had to rescue a poisoned peregrine falcon and trapped birds before.

“This was a one-year-old female goshawk, weighing 1,300 grams. It was shot in flight and could not have been mistaken for a rook or a pigeon.

“The goshawk was in a beautiful condition and a pellet had gone through one thigh and I think one got into a lung, which killed the bird.

“There’s not a lot we can do because it is quite an isolated area, so people may not have seen this happen.

“All we can do is ask people to come forward and to pass on any information that they do have.”

An RSPB spokesman said: “The shooting of birds of prey is an extremely serious issue.

“The RSPB has recently submitted a petition to the Government with more than 200,000 signatures on it urging it to take the problem seriously.

“Anyone caught killing birds of prey can be jailed for six months and face a fine of up to £5,000.”

RSPB figures show that in North Yorkshire during 2008, there were 24 incidents involving birds of prey, compared with 14 in the rest of Yorkshire.

A police spokesman said: “This type of incident is illegal and it damages the countryside that we are all trying to protect.”

Anyone with information about the incident, or who saw suspicious activity in the area, is asked to call the police on 0845-60-60-24-7, or Crimestoppers on 0800-555- 111. Alternatively, call the RSPB on 01767-680551 or its confidential hotline on 0845-466-3636.