Wildlife expert wants law put in place to protect golden eagles

A wildlife expert has called for sanctions to be put in place to protect one of Scotland’s most iconic species.

Alan Stewart, a retired Tayside Police wildlife crime officer from Perthshire, said the list of “poisoned, shot, trapped and vaporised golden eagles is growing ever longer”.

He was speaking after a review was ordered by the Scottish environment secretary to “discover if there is a pattern of suspicious activity”.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP ordered the review after eight golden eagles vanished in an area of the Monadhliath mountains known for its grouse shooting, south of Inverness.

RSPB Scotland believes they were killed illegally around grouse moors, and their satellite tracking tags destroyed.

Mr Stewart, who previously worked as an intelligence officer with the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit (NCWU), said: “Gamekeepers maintain that golden eagles are not a problem, yet I was told by a former head keeper that an eagle flew over a grouse drive one day and was seen by the landowner, who told him it better not be there on the next shooting day.

“Eight golden eagles known to be missing in an area of grouse moors, together with a further golden eagle found poisoned in the same area in 2010 tend to confirm that golden eagles are still being eliminated.”

The Scottish Moorland Group, which represents landowners and gamekeepers, said there was no clear evidence of the golden eagles having even died in the Monadhliath area.

Director Tim Baynes said there was a clear process for investigating the disappearance of satellite-tagged birds, which involved the police.

eight golden eagles missing in an area of grouse moors... tend to confirm that golden eagles are still being eliminated