Raptor scientist targeted with online abuse after webinar announcement
Dr Ruth Tingay says publicity for her Friends of the Dales webinar on illegal raptor persecution prompted a wave of misogynistic personal abuse from some supporters of game shooting and hunting.
Raptor Persecution UK founder Dr Ruth Tingay has highlighted the online abuse she received after Friends of the Dales promoted her forthcoming webinar on illegal bird of prey persecution.
The free online event, organised as part of the charity’s Eyes on the Skies campaign, is focused on the illegal killing of birds of prey in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The campaign was launched in 2025 to raise awareness of raptor persecution in an area long associated with wildlife crime concerns.
Tingay had originally been due to give the talk earlier this year, but it was postponed and rescheduled for Wednesday 20 May. Friends of the Dales promoted the event on social media, after which Tingay said there had been an “avalanche of misogynistic personal abuse” directed at her by some individuals linked to or supportive of game shooting and hunting.
In response, she published a Raptor Persecution UK blog post using some of the abuse in the headline, including the phrases “vindictive evil woman” and “poisoned witch”. The wording was deliberately chosen to show the nature of the comments being posted publicly in response to the webinar announcement.
The article included screenshots of abusive comments that had appeared on the Friends of the Dales Facebook page. Tingay said that, because the comments had been made openly and under people’s own names, they were worth examining as part of the wider response to the campaign.
She also described the abuse as part of a broader pattern faced by campaigners who speak publicly about raptor persecution, particularly where the issue overlaps with driven grouse shooting and upland land management.
Tingay said people often ask her how she deals with the abuse, but that the answer depends on the context. She distinguished between one-off abusive comments and more serious behaviour, including the publication of personal details, photographs of her house or car, people turning up at events, or conduct that could amount to harassment or stalking.
She also raised concerns about what she described as targeted attacks on Friends of the Dales and its trustees following the launch of the Eyes on the Skies campaign. In her view, these efforts were intended to intimidate campaigners and discourage public discussion of illegal raptor persecution.
Friends of the Dales’ Eyes on the Skies campaign has already hosted webinars with speakers from the RSPB Investigations Team, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Hen Harrier Action. Tingay’s talk forms the next event in that series.
While the webinar itself is about illegal raptor persecution, Tingay’s post drew attention to the hostility that can follow efforts to raise public awareness of the issue. The episode highlights how debates over birds of prey, grouse moor management and wildlife crime can quickly spill over into personal abuse against those involved in conservation campaigning.
May 2026
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