Government pledge to get tough on killers of golden eagles
THE Environment Secretary has condemned the “deliberate and sustained” persecution of birds of prey after a new report showed almost a third of golden eagles tagged in Scotland vanished in suspicious circumstances.
Roseanna Cunningham told MSPs the Scottish Natural Heritage report gives “clear evidence” of illegal behaviour.
She pledged action to tackle the problem, including working with Police Scotland to pilot the use of special constables in Cairngorms National Park.
There were 131 golden eagles tagged in Scotland between 2004 and 2016. Ten died of natural causes, five were killed, and the tags on 41 birds stopped without malfunctioning.
The experts identified six areas where clusters of birds have disappeared in the Northern Monadhliaths, Angus Glens, East Grampians including Ladder Hills and Glaick Forest/Glen Tilt. Further clusters have been identified in the Upper Tay/Forth and South Loch Ness.
They concluded: “A relatively large number of the tagged golden eagles were probably killed, mostly on or near grouse moors where there is recent, independent evidence of illegal persecution.”
A Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) spokesman said: “The illegal killing of any eagle is condemned wholeheartedly by the SGA and all law-abiding gamekeepers.”