Gamekeepers in the Peak District have suffered more harassment and criminal vandalism than almost anywhere else in recent years, and many feel that a large part of that can be blamed on Mr George Louis Taylor.
Back in February 2019 Taylor, along with an unknown friend, was observed through cameras vandalising the property of gamekeepers. The police were called on that occasion and Taylor was taken in for questioning. Since he was caught vandalising gamekeepers property, Taylor seems to have made it his mission to launch a hate campaign against keepers and the national park, as the following video demonstrates.
This video filmed earlier this year has no sound but it shows one young keeper, who had only recently started his job, going about his morning checks. Out of nowhere he is accosted by Mr Taylor, waving a video camera in his face and shouting his name at him (despite the fact the gamekeeper had never met him before).
There can be no clearer example of the workplace harassment being experienced by gamekeepers at the hands of activists. Not only does Mr Taylor then repeatedly call out the gamekeeper’s name and place of work, he then broadcasts it, along with his number plate, across the internet. The same gamekeeper subsequently found video surveillance equipment set up on his home, though it is not known whether Mr Taylor is responsible for that directly.
Despite Taylor’s ongoing campaign of harassment against the gamekeepers of the Peak District, he has been working as part of the local raptor group. Yet the length he is willing to go to to spread misinformation about raptors is quite remarkable, even by activist standards.
In this video, Taylor can be seen giving a presentation on hen harriers, a bird that has suffered historic persecution in the past but who’s numbers are now soaring having enjoyed a record breeding year this year.
The number of total hen harriers in the UK is estimated to be around 600 nesting pairs, according the BBC Wildlife’s figures. Yet, in this corporate presentation that Taylor is giving on behalf of his company, Caudata Group, he is on camera here telling people there are only 3 pairs! That is, according to BBC Wildlife, 597 less than the reality.
And people wonder why there is so much misinformation about gamekeepers and hostile attitudes out there when you’ve got people like Taylor putting out those sorts of facts. Given he is a 'raptor worker' he clearly knows the truth, yet he continues to tell people these lies, and then the general public believe them which only fuels further confrontation. And the vicious cycle continues again.
Taylor is also said to be using his Caudata company pass to allow fellow activists privileged access rights across the Peak District.