Members of the public are being urged to assist police with an investigation into the suspicious disappearance of 3 white-tailed eagles, who were part of a major reintroduction project here on the Isle of Wight.
The birds are part of a reintroduction project led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, which has released 45 white-tailed eagles since 2019 under licence from Natural England. Their disappearance is now being investigated by multiple police forces and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Considered one of the country’s key conservation successes, the project has seen several breeding pairs form, resulting in 6 chicks born in the wild since the 1780s. Any harm to the birds is likely to affect the long-term success of the scheme.
All released eagles are fitted with satellite trackers to monitor their daily movements. In September, trackers from 2 eagles were found discarded near the birds’ last known locations near Petersfield. Both had been cut off using a sharp instrument.
In a separate case, another eagle’s tag stopped transmitting on 8th November, and there have been no sightings of the bird since.
Tim Mackrill, from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, has said:
“We monitor the satellite data, showing the bird’s minute-by-minute movements, on a daily basis and always investigate any suspicious or unusual data.
“It was devastating to find the stolen and dumped tags, particularly for the chick in Sussex who fledged this summer and had only just begun its life.
Article continues below this advertisement “So many people in the area had shared the joy of seeing these birds breed again after hundreds of years and our ongoing monitoring has shown how well they were fitting into the landscape. To have that destroyed just a few months later is deeply shocking.”
Steve Egerton-Read, White-Tailed Eagle Project Officer for Forestry England, has said:
“We are returning this lost species to the English landscape and have had so much support from the public.
“These special birds are helping people connect with the natural world and showing how with a little bit of help nature can thrive. We are asking the public to show this support again by encouraging anyone who has information that may help the police investigation to come forward.”
Anyone with information about the disappearances is encouraged to contact the police via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Such a shame how the hell do people get hold of an eagle?
Twelve bore?
Shame not to them..