It has emerged that a tawny owl was shot at close range with a shotgun in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire last September. Its body was found stuffed into a wall. A spokesperson from a conservation group, Ban Bloodsports on Yorkshire’s Moors, has encouraged walkers in the area to report finding any injured animals and birds in traps or snares and those that have been shot. He added: “It’s a grim reality that wildlife is being wiped out by trap, snare and gun on some of the region’s most popular moorlands to boost red grouse numbers for shooting.”