Yet another golden eagle has been killed, found poisoned on an estate used for grouse shooting in the Angus Glens. This individual was being tracked by Roy Dennis and his team, the tracker alerted him to a lack of movement which lead him to alert our Investigations team and the police to this grisly discovery. This species should be considered the national bird of Scotland and yet it is being killed. It is not the first incident in this area, prosecutions have not been forthcoming despite a number of cases in this region. This terrible news comes days after the BIRDCRIME 2012 report was published highlighting the ongoing issue of illegal persecution against birds of prey across the UK.
The RSPB Scotland Director states - “I will be asking the environment spokesperson of all the parties in the Scottish Parliament to take cross-party action to stiffen the penalties for those convicted of such offences and to look again at the regulation of sport shooting. The current state of affairs is simply unacceptable.”
Keep an eye out for this story in the press. This eagle was only two years old, it had not even had a chance to fully mature. How many people could have been inspired by that bird should it have survived to live a normal lifespan, how many chicks could it have raised if it were allowed to breed and could those chicks have been the ones to naturally recolonise the areas where eagles should be but are not?
Warden Intern at Otmoor.
Not sure just how we will solve this ongoing problem of poisoning and shooting of raptors of any species.As I have said before our club recording area is surrounded by grouse moors some of which do not have a very good reputation but we feel pretty helpless to help solve the problem.The areas concerned are often so vast it is impossible for concerns like the Society or police to cover them and they must rely on imput from locals and birders alike.
Pete
Birding is for everyone no matter how good or bad we are at it,enjoy it while you can
The problem is that these estates are big money earners & the only suitable punishment is to either close them down for a year & see if they change their attitude, or fine them all their income. Plus specific offenders if identified should be put in prison & throw away the key.
Best wishes
Hazel in Southwest France
So depressing. It's a pity that the owners of these estates can't be held accountable. As it is, even if they catch person who actually put down the poison they can easily deny all knowledge of the crime. People with money, power and influence invariably get away with it.
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Tony
My Flickr Photostream
That is dreadful news, Ian. There have been several crimes involving raptors in this area including the deliberate destruction of a Sea Eagle's nest in Glen Esk ( close to Glen Lethnot where this incident occurred)earlier this year. I hope Scots Law can lay the responsibility fair and square on the land owners.
"The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom" - Wlliam Blake
I know that the grouse shooting industry is big in Scotland, but isn't tourism as well? How many people, like me, have travelled to Scotland to specifically see birds of prey there? I'm sure that eagles bring income to the Highlands. Do these horrific idiots think that what they're doing is benefiting anyone? Or do they just want Scotland to have a reputation like Malta's?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Unknown said:Perhaps its time for some out of the box thinking about carrots rather than sticks.
In our area Grouse shooting is regarded as a big income for a few but if the only way it can be made viable is by committing a crime,which the destruction of raptors is, surely the whole business should be reviewed.Operating under a license may be one way of control.Besides killing the intended target there is no way of preventing innocent people or their pets from being poisoned,since the Open Access laws were brought in,2005?,many of these areas are open to all,what happens when something like this happens to an innocent walker who touches a poisoned carcass.