Campaign to Stop the feeding of Red Kites

Aim

Feeding our beautiful Red Kites is putting them at risk as well as members of our community through close encounters, causing injury

The Problem 

The practice of feeding Red Kites tidbits in the gardens and public parks of South Oxfordshire is causing harm to our Red Kites and creating difficulties for our community. As a result Red Kites are associating people with food, bringing them into greater human contact. They are unfortunately now widely seen to be a pest.

There have recently been 3 social media posts about young children being injured by Red Kites in the local area of Thame, in their attempt to take food from the children’s hands. While these children sustained minor cuts, they were highly traumatised by these close encounters. There are also further reports of close encounters with children and adults in Thame, Marlow, Benson, Watlington and throughout the towns and villages of the Chilterns.

Members of the community in the Chiltern area also report food being taken from picnics and gardens as well as being approached for food directly.

Our beautiful Red Kite population is one of the things that makes living in the Chilterns so special.

Prior to being reintroduced, this is the very reason they became extinct from lowland England in the first place - humans began to see them as a pest and started to cull them.

Unfortunately,according to the British Ornithological society, It seems that the problem of feeding has increased during the pandemic as people sought to use this as a form of entertainment.

If we do nothing about this, the problem will only get worse and more members of our community will sadly experience these close encounters. Additionally feeding has negative consequences for the health and natural survival skills of the Red Kites themselves.

The Campaign

A small group of us are trying to start a local campaign to protect people from further close encounters and also our beautiful kites from the human interference that is so detrimental to their wellbeing. 

All money raised will be used to create posters, leaflets and other materials  to educate people about the serious consequences of feeding these majestic birds.

This project successfully funded on 4th August 2022