Illegal poison kills rare eagle and dog on Sussex shooting estate

The following press release was issued by RSPB England today ...

• New RSPB report reveals for first time the tragic death of White-tailed Eagle and dog on Sussex shooting estate 
• Persecuted to extinction in Engand in the late 1700’s, death of eagle was first known case of persecution since a recent re-introduction.  
• Death of dog raises concerns about use of illegal poisons on shooting estates 

The RSPB’s new Birdcrime report reveals for the first time the circumstances around the death of a White-tailed Eagle on a Sussex shooting estate, and the related death of a Labrador dog.  

On 15 October 2021 a satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England reintroduction project, sent back data which suggested it was no longer moving and presumed dead.  

Sussex Police at Midhurst were notified, and the RSPB assisted with a land search on the estate in West Sussex. The eagle’s body was eventually found wedged in a tree.  The bird was sent for toxicology testing by the police which confirmed it had died as a result of ingesting the lethal poison Bendiocarb. 

Three days after the loss of the eagle, a member of the shoot was picking up shot game birds during a shoot on the same estate. He entered a pheasant pen with his Labrador dog, Duke, who picked up a partially eaten pheasant carcass. Moments later, Duke started convulsing and foaming at the mouth. Forty minutes later, the dog was dead. Duke was buried the next day. Tests carried out by the owner suggested that the dog might have been poisoned. 

Duke’s owner informed the shoot manager about the possible poisoning of his dog and was subsequently paid several thousand pounds compensation by the estate. He also reported the poisoning to the RSPB and police. 

The police investigation into the case resulted in the dog being exhumed and tests confirmed the presence of Bendiocarb, a highly toxic insecticide in the dog’s body, the same poison that had killed the eagle. Bendiocarb is banned in its strongest form and will be banned completely next year. However, despite the police investigation into the poisoning of the dog and White-tailed Eagle, two years on, no charges have been brought. 

The killing of this eagle is historically significant as it is the first confirmed case of the illegal persecution of a White-tailed Eagle in England since these birds were persecuted to extinction in the late 1700s. 

Mark Thomas, RSPB Head of Investigations said; “This is a tragic case. Whilst we don’t know who had the poison, the laying of any poisoned bait in the open is illegal and indiscriminate and has been encountered before in cases involving those who wish to deliberately kill birds of prey.  

“The intended target species often depends on the associated land use or activity. On land associated with gamebird releasing and management the most frequent victims are Red Kites and Common Buzzards. Although White-tailed Eagles are unlikely to be the intended target of these crimes these opportunistic scavengers are as at risk as any other bird of prey, especially in their first year when satellite-tagging data has shown they wander far and wide.  

“This case also raises again a related issue around the safety of people’s much loved pet dogs. The fact that no charges have yet been brought is bitterly disappointing.” 

The RSPBs latest Birdcrime report, alongside peer-reviewed papers, intelligence and data from wildlife crime incidents continues to affirm that raptor persecution is frequently linked to land managed for gamebird shooting. Evidence shows on some shooting estates birds of prey are deliberately targeted to reduce potential predation on gamebird stocks and sometimes also to reduce disturbance to these quarry species on shoot days.  

RSPB Chief Operating Officer, James Robinson said “Sadly, once again, the report documents the shameful illegal killing of rare and vulnerable birds of prey, an important part of our natural heritage. Given the correlation in location between birds of prey persecution and land under game management, the RSPB is calling for greater regulation of shooting, in particular intensive forms of grouse shooting. A Bill to introduce licensing of grouse moors in Scotland to stop raptor persecution is now moving ahead and we need a similar response in England”.     

If you notice a dead or injured bird of prey in suspicious circumstances, call the police on 101 and fill in the RSPB’s online reporting form: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/wild-bird-crime-report-form/  

If you have information about anyone killing birds of prey which you wish to report anonymously, call the RSPB’s confidential Raptor Crime Hotline on 0300 999 0101.