Police Scotland have issued the following appeal for information this afternoon:
APPEAL FOR INFORMATION ON MISSING GOLDEN EAGLE IN SCOTTISH BORDERS
Detectives are continuing their enquiries and now appealing for any help the public can give after a satellite-tagged Golden Eagle was reported missing in the Scottish Borders on Wednesday, 18 October.
Detective Sergeant David Lynn, Police Scotland Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “Since the report was made, officers have been working with a range of partner agencies to establish more details and gather further information to establish the circumstances.
“The bird was last seen in the area to the west of Fountainhall, between Heriot and Stow on Thursday, 12 October. A full search of this area was carried out and officers believe the bird has come to harm and are treating its disappearance as suspicious.
“We are determined to protect these magnificent birds. We work closely with a number of partners to tackle wildlife crime, which can be challenging and complex to investigate. As our enquiry continues I would urge anyone with any information that may assist to contact us through 101 quoting reference number 1193 of 18 October. Alternatively, please contact Crimestoppers though 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
ENDS
More comment on this in due course…
UPDATE 16.45hrs: ‘Missing’ golden eagle is from South Scotland Golden Eagle Project (here)
UPDATE 19.00hrs: If you’re angry about the loss of golden eagle Merrick, here’s something you can do (here)
UPDATE 1 May 2024: Police believe golden eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot and killed in south Scotland (here)
UPDATE 11 August 2025: 16 months (& waiting) for NatureScot to make decision on General Licence restriction relating to ‘shooting and killing’ of sleeping Golden Eagle called Merrick (here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
No doubt another bird gone ” missing” at the hands of a wildlife criminal, inevitable but it still makes me very angry. My guess for what it is worth is that nobody will come forward with enough vital information to solve the case.
Fine the landowners who have the shooting licences £25,000 per burden missing on their land.
Then the slaughter will fall
TRAGIC🥵
A look on Google Maps (satellite view) shows the scarred landscape of the strip-burned grousemoor over the area referred to. There’s a surprise, eh?
They must know when the Sat signal dropped out.
Bearing this in mind :
We work closely with a number of partners to tackle wildlife crime, which can be challenging and complex to investigate.
You’d think that when/if a case comes to court the magistrates would take the case more seriously and impose a penalty worthy of all the work involved.
“You’d think that when/if a case comes to court the magistrates would take the case more seriously and impose a penalty worthy of all the work involved.”
It would help enormously if Scots Law allowed the public to demand a review of unduly lenient sentencing.
Always disappointing but never a shock. People on this site are very conditioned to this, as are the perpetrators. How will licencing stop this if there continues to be no evidence? The owners will always call foul as they do now in the most convincing and compelling way. I can see a total ban as the only solution.
In this case, Police Scotland have evidence that leads them to ‘believe the bird has come to harm’ (they haven’t revealed that evidence yet as the investigation is ongoing). However, if this incident had taken place when the proposed licensing scheme was in place, the evidence required to trigger a licence removal would be based on the civil burden of proof. The problem currently is that evidence required for a criminal prosecution is based on the criminal burden of proof, which is a much higher threshold because it requires the police to link the evidence to a named individual. The civil burden of proof does not.
absolutely appalling tragic news again ! This is totally unacceptable and severe measures need to be taken disgusting.
the judges need to start implementing fines that will hurt the landowners and take away there lands if necessary it should be made law of the lands .But it won’t because a lot of our so called big wigs are the one with the gun !!
Do you know when the satellite tag ceased to operate and where the location of the bird was at that time?
From the Police Scotland appeal for information:
‘The bird was last seen in the area to the west of Fountainhall, between Heriot and Stow on Thursday, 12 October’.