British Tesco killing of pied wagtail prevented

This video from Britain says about itself:

My friendly Pied Wagtail

30 November 2012

This is the 3rd winter this Wagtail has returned to our garden. As you can see he is quite happy to feed from my hand. … The longest recorded lifespan for a Pied Wagtail that I have been advised of is just over 11 years which is well over the average 3 – 5 years.

During the slaughter of World War I, a French general decided to have a cat shot ‘for treason’.

Though there are ominous signs now of the world being on the slippery slope to another horrible war, like in 1914, at least bird lovers in England have prevented business bigwigs from having a pied wagtail shot; at least for now.

From Wildlife Extra:

Pied wagtail in Tesco store given last minute reprieve from the firing squad

A bird that made its home in a Great Yarmouth supermarket has been given a last-minute reprieve after the store threatened to shoot it, reports the Great Yarmouth Mercury.

Tesco had considered bringing in marksmen to kill the pied wagtail in its Great Yarmouth branch, but have now announced that it will continue attempting to capture and release the bird, possibly with help with the British Trust for Ornithology.

The bird has been flitting around the store for some time, and has become known to customers.

…

Pied wagtails, which can often be seen hopping around supermarket car parks, are among birds protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act. Anyone who kills one could be fined up to £5,000 or jailed for a maximum of six months if they do not have a licence.

However, plans to bring a marksman into the Pasteur Road store to shoot this particular wagtail were shelved after a local newspaper article revealed the potential fate of the bird when the store closed after 4pm this Sunday, and customers protested.

Shoppers took to the internet to express their anger at the decision to shoot the bird.

“We’re going to continue to try to release the bird over the next few weeks,” said Tesco.

Natural England (NE) said licences, such as the one granted to Tesco, were issued “occasionally” but only when environment bosses were “satisfied” all other methods had been exhausted.

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Even naturalist and broadcaster, Chris Packham, weighed in on the side of the wagtail, tweeting: “Can I ask you to rethink the shooting of the wagtail in Gt Yarmouth store please. I’m sure the bird could be caught.”

Tesco East Anglia replied in a tweet, saying: “We’ve tried for a number of weeks to catch the bird, definitely our preference to catch and release. Any advice welcome.”

Packham called for Tesco to talk to the British Trust for Ornithology. He tweeted: “Please liaise with BTO who have experts in the field of live capture – and promise us a stay of execution!”

Tesco East Anglia then tweeted: “Happy to liaise with BTO, we’re going to explore other options over the next few weeks and will keep you updated.”

On hearing the news the bird had been saved, Packham posted: “All @Tesco are going to work with @_BTO to try again to catch the Wag’ and the guns are stood down. Result and thank you all for lobbying”.