White-tailed Eagle Poisoning – Scotland

Banner image courtesy of Police Scotland who said “As well as being illegal, poisoning is a cruel way to kill a bird. It also puts the lives of other creatures and plants at risk and impacts negatively on our environment”

As notified by Wild Justice (28 July 2020), a radio-collared specimen of the UK’s largest bird of prey, the white-tailed eagle has been found poisoned in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland:

“Although the details of this death aren’t fully known it comes as no surprise to discover that the bird was found in an area of grouse moors in Strathdon. Even though this area is part of the Cairngorms National Park it’s a wildlife crime hotspot.

We’re contacting you this evening to ask you to add your voice to the outcry over the death of this young eagle.

Please take a few minutes to email both the Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, ([email protected]) and Cabinet Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham ([email protected]). A large number of emails, polite emails, will undoubtedly make a difference.”

IWB’s e-mail (29 July 2020):

Dear Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham,

During these surreal and difficult times for many, there was hope given that the UK’s largest bird of prey was a welcome sight in our nation’s skies – a beacon of hope that this magnificent and majestic species soared above us, lifting our spirits and hearts with it.

But it seems that an ignorant, self-absorbed few seek to cruelly, deliberately eradicate such wild beauty because it presents a minor threat to their cherished, blinkered, commercial grouse breeding and killing obsession – a sad reflection of a selfish mentality that is hard to fathom in a so-called civilised society.

The reported poisoning of a white-tailed eagle (a radio tracked specimen – see picture (Source: Wild Justice)) found in the Cairngorms National Park, Scotland is yet another example of this despicable and indiscriminate crime against nature.

Of course, such killing of birds of prey (white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, red kites, buzzards etc….) is illegal, but the perpetrators continue to act with wanton disregard for the law, nature and against public sentiment – there has been a noticeable uplift in the nation’s wonder of nature during lock-down. That ‘wonder’ is needed now more than ever as our species faces a new reality and wake-up call perhaps, valuing the nature around us anew.

Please do all you can to bring the abhorrent illegal persecution of birds of prey to a swift and decisive end – with rigorous pursuit to eradicate the causes of such crimes, the decisive prosecution of the perpetrators of these illegal acts, with a transparent deterrent to all such future crimes against our shared, glorious and inspiring nature that is our duty to protect for future generations to enjoy.