Shocking footage today emerged showing a ‘rogue’ RSPB warden stepping on the tail of a helpless seabird for up to ‘four minutes’ before eventually killing it. The ‘disgraceful’ actions of warden Ibrahim Alfarwi have been criticised after the video clip of him trapping the sick skua came to light.
In the clip, Mr Alfarwi can be seen chasing the ‘evidently sick’ bird and stepping on its tail before beckoning volunteers to take a look at it.
Eye-witnesses accused him of ‘torturing’ the helpless animal by standing on it for four minutes, before wringing its neck and smashing its head against a rock, causing blood to splatter everywhere.
The RSPCA has branded the video ‘distressing’ and the RSPB has apologised for his actions. The RSPB warden was working on Coquet Island, off the Northumberland Coast, at the height of bird flu when the video was taken in the summer of 2022.
Defra instructions state that sick or injured birds should not have been approached and full PPE had to be worn. A volunteer, who took the recording but wishes to remain anonymous, said he arrived on the island to help when he and another were offered a tour by Mr Alfarwi.
“We weren’t asked to put on any particular PPE and set off with only a can of spray paint to spray the corpses,” he said of the ‘rogue’ warden. We walked full circle around the island getting very close to the nesting birds, some looked sick.
“Then Ibrahim spotted a large, evidently sick Skua. He chased it and said he would have to kill it. Once he caught it he signalled to us to come get a close up look, he held it in his hands whilst it looked up at us and he let us take some photos.
“Then he said step back as ‘there maybe some blood’. He wrung its neck and struck its head hard against a rock in front of us – there was a lot of blood splatter.”
The witness said the same thing happened to a gull and a baby puffin.
Describing the incident in which the skua was ‘tortured’, he said: “Ibrahim stood on the tail for around four minutes. It was a long and drawn out process he embarked upon to trap and slowly kill the bird.
“There can be no excuse for this disgraceful behaviour because Mr Alfarwi was fully aware of the regulations in place at that time and he was familiar with having to wear full PPE as he had done so throughout the previous month.
“You can see him actually enjoying himself as he faced me and beckoned me to approach and view the stricken bird; he was showing off and enjoying it.
“He stood on the bird for a considerable amount of time before dispatching it.”
In response, Mr Alfarwi revealed he still works for the RSPB and that the video was taken without his consent.
He said: “The bird was unwell, suffering and had been on the island for several days. I was instructed to dispatch the bird by my manager to end its suffering.
“The bird was quickly and humanely dispatched and there was no widespread blood splatter as alleged. I was not wearing the correct PPE as my manager did not provide this for me.
“The RSPB was made aware of this video (filmed in 2022) the following year (2023) and the content and circumstances surround it were fully investigated.
“The person with accountability and responsibility for the island at the time of the video, my manager, no longer works for the RSPB.”
An RSPB spokesperson said: “We are aware of this video, which was filmed in summer 2022, and which breaches our own high standards and procedures. We are sorry for the way this bird was treated and have fully investigated the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“Whilst we can’t comment on details of specific cases, the individual in the video was instructed to catch the bird in order to prevent further suffering and the spread of bird flu.
“Action has now been taken. The person with responsibility and accountability for Coquet Island at that time is no longer employed by us.
“The RSPB is committed to maintaining the highest standards of management of birds on our nature reserves.”
An RSPCA spokesperson said: “This video is distressing and we welcome the RSPB’s swift handling of this incident, which happened in 2022. We understand the challenges of dealing with avian influenza but the welfare of animals must always be a priority.”
