©Dead Finch/BirdSpot
Each year 6.5 million finches are dying from diseases caused by the feeders sold in the RSPB shop, according to conservation charity Finches’ Friends.
What is worse is the RSPB CEO, Beccy Speight, as well as senior staff are well aware of what is taking place, and yet have failed to take any remedial steps to resolve the problem.
The reason? Because through the sale of their own RSPB feeders the charity generates significant amount of revenue which it dares not risk losing.
When the disease, known as trichomonosis, was raised by experts as being caused by the feeders being sold in RSPB shops the charity responded with an answer so damaging it could only be compared to some of the tactics used by US opioid salesmen in the 1990s.
Their reply stated: “As a charity we need to generate income to be able to carry out our vital conservation work and deliver more action for nature. By designing, selling, and advertising our own products, we can ensure that as much of this income as possible is put towards our conservation efforts, public education, and advocacy work in the UK and around the world.”
What on earth sort of response is that from a charity whose purpose, officially at least, is meant to be protecting birds? It is a shocking indictment on the charity and its management.
Furthermore, the diseases is often made worse by the terrible conditions the bird feeders on RSPB reserves are left in as we reported on earlier this month.
The disease trichomonosis is known to be spread by pigeons to finches, yet the RSPB have introduced feeder products that brings the birds together. It is as if they are strategically plotting the deaths of 6.5million much loved finches each year just so they can pay even bigger fat cat salaries to their management teams. It is a complete disgrace. Yet just another example of the corrosive management strategy at the top of the organisation.
Indeed when the group Finches’ Friend wrote to CEO Beccy Spieght in disgust at what the charity were doing, her scathing reply was only that they would not answer any communication from the group.
The sooner the general public realise the damage the RSPB are inflicting on the nations beloved finches and boycott these harmful products the better.