Campaigners call for urgent review of wildlife policing after more raptors go missing in suspicious circumstances.
Nicola Sturgeon must take urgent action on wildlife crime following the disappearance of two golden eagles in Perthshire, an MSP has said.
The eagles, named Adam and Charlie, went missing from the Auchnafree Estate in the Strathbraan area on 18 April.
A video by broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham reveals that satellite tags on both birds “suddenly and inexplicably” stopped working that morning, when the eagles were just two miles apart.
The birds have not been seen since, and both Packham and Greens MSP Andy Wightman believe the circumstances around their disappearance to be suspicious.
Wightman, the Scottish Environment LINK species champion for the golden eagle, gave Adam his name in 2018, as a tribute the late ecologist and mountaineer Dr Adam Watson.
He has now written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling for a step up in the prevention and detection of wildlife crime.
The MSP said: “I am shocked and devastated by the disappearance of Adam, a young golden eagle, whom I spent time with when he was nine weeks old.
“The cold rage that I felt when I heard of the circumstances of his disappearance has now developed into a determination to discover his fate.
“This latest outrage should be a wake-up call to the Scottish Government that for all their reviews, inquiries and reforms, rampant criminality remains in place across many of Scotland’s driven grouse moors.
“Today I have written to the first minister to ask her to provide clear leadership on eradicating wildlife crime, to legislate to outlaw driven grouse-shooting, to meet with myself and raptor workers and to invite the justice secretary to convene a high-level meeting of law enforcement officials to review policing and justice measures.”
The cold rage I felt when I heard of his disappearance has developed into a determination to discover his fate
The MSP said the incident was “the latest in a long, long list of raptors to disappear in suspicious circumstances in Scotland”.
He added: “Today’s revelations demonstrate conclusively that there is organised criminal activity taking place with impunity on grouse moors. That’s why I’ve asked the First Minister to step up attempts to protect our iconic wildlife.”
A third of all satellite-tagged golden eagles have disappeared without trace on or next to a driven grouse moor.
Packham, who has received death threats for campaigning against the illegal killing of wild birds, said: “We can’t prove that harm has come to Adam and Charlie, nor who might have been responsible, but we can look at the circumstances, look at the science, look at the wider evidence and draw plausible conclusions.
“The Scottish Government has already acknowledged that illegal raptor persecution is an ongoing problem. How many more golden eagles do we have to lose before that same Government takes effective action?”
Revive, the coalition for grouse moor reform, said it was “shocked and saddened” to hear of the birds’ disappearance.
Campaign manager Max Wiszniewski said: “Scotland’s grouse moors are a hotbed of criminality from raptor persecution to illegal snaring and trapping and while there’s no proof these two golden eagles were deliberately targeted this type of incident is systematic of our concerns with grouse moors more widely.”
A Police Scotland investigation has been launched into the eagles’ disappearance.
A spokesman said: “Police Scotland can confirm it is conducting an investigation into the disappearance of two golden eagles which have been reported as missing earlier this year in an area of land between Loch Tay and Glen Almond.”
Alix Whitaker from the Auchnafree Estate said: “We were absolutely shocked to learn that these two eagles were missing. They have been around the estate for some time now and we were delighted to have them.
“We have been told by the police that neither the estate nor its staff were involved in their apparent disappearance. No-one knows what has happened to these birds and we would urge anyone with information to make contact with Police Scotland as soon as possible. We have also written to neighbouring estates to ask them to help.
“While the estate owns the land, we let out mixed shooting to tenants who take their wildlife conservation responsibilities very seriously.”
