Survival fight for eagle and hen harrier

Depressing report from today's Guardian.
The survival of two of Britain's most distinctive birds of prey, the golden eagle and the hen harrier, is being threatened by widespread and illegal persecution by gamekeepers, the country's largest conservation charity says.

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds warned yesterday that both birds are close to extinction in England because of systematic attacks by owners and staff on shooting estates, particularly in the counties of Northumberland, Cumbria, Yorkshire and Derbyshire.

I sometimes think that a straightfoward class war would be the easier option.