The golden eagle has taken pole position in a vote to identify the nation’s favourite wild animal. The poll was organised by SNH and VisitScotland to highlight the Year of Natural Scotland and included the so-called ‘Big 5’ species: golden eagle, red squirrel, red deer, harbour seal and otter. The golden eagle won by a landslide majority (see here).
But so what? Will winning this poll make any difference to the number of illegally poisoned, illegally shot or illegally trapped golden eagles that keep turning up on Scottish grouse moors? Or any difference to those young satellite-tagged golden eagles that keep mysteriously ‘disappearing’ over Scottish grouse moors? Or any difference to the number of grouse moor gamekeepers and grouse moor estate owners that are never prosecuted for killing our favourite species?
Here’s a link to all the blog entries we’ve written about golden eagle persecution in Scotland – a fairly comprehensive overview of how appallingly our favourite species is treated by those who won’t tolerate it on their moors and by those who are supposed to be protecting it.
Here’s a photo of the golden eagle that was found shot and critically injured on a grouse moor in southern Scotland last year. Despite top veterinary care, he didn’t make it. This is what we’re allowing to happen to our ‘favourite’ species…
Raptor Persecution UK 
I hope that all the ‘sporting estates’ and their gamekeepers are proud of their destructive life style. Killing our iconic wildlife.
Some one\should turn the shotguns on their owners!
Between persecution and reckless wind farm development in prime breeding areas – its an iconic species that is in rapid retreat!!
What evidence is there that wind farms are adversely affecting them? Surely the main problem is gamekeeper attacks and subsequent indifference on the part of the police and legal authorities.
Go to imgurr.com/a/cprht to see photo of Eagle cut in half by a wind turbine, or just google eagle cut in half by wind turbine and search through the results it does happen.
Every time a wind farm is proposed, the developers carry out an Environmental Impact Assessment. This normally includes a calculation of how many protected birds that the turbine will kill. Its never zero.
Why this is not “conspiracy” to commit an offence I will never know?
The RSPB is appealing a number of wind farm applications in prime eagle areas across Scotland. Wind farms in the US have killed thousands of eagles since the 70’s
Thy RSPB have been abysmal in protecting prime eagle habitat. Yes they have lobbied against a few proposed for in the far west & far north but have approved countless prime areas for eagles in the Southern Uplands,& the east & central areas of the Highlands in the very areas where eagle population are supressed. They are complete hypocrites, campaigning against persecution in these areas whilst allowing the inevitable systematic legal killing. The grouse moors can’t believe their good fortune.