A young female white-tailed eagle has been found shot dead near Cranberry Lough in County Roscommon, Ireland.
She was part of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) long-running reintroduction project and had been released at Lough Derg two years ago.
As part of the reintroduction project, the young eagles are fitted with satellite tags to monitor their movements. Information from this eagle’s tag suggest she was killed sometime between Monday evening and Tuesday morning on 11th/12th March 2024.
She’d been present in the area for the last few weeks, having previously travelled around the north and west of Ireland once she’d dispersed from Lough Derg almost a year ago.
Director General of the NPWS, Niall Ó Donnchú, said forensic examinations were being conducted which he hoped would provide more information about the weapon used to kill the eagle.
“I deplore this wanton act of violence against this beautiful and endangered bird. We’re asking for the public’s help in bringing the perpetrator of this heinous act of destruction to justice.”
Meanwhile, just over the border in Northern Ireland, the investigation is ongoing into the illegal poisoning of two white-tailed eagles, found dead last year on the only moor that’s managed for driven grouse shooting in NI (here).
Raptor Persecution UK 
It is shocking to me.
It had been quite some time since WTSE was deliberately shot in Ireland, to my knowledge.
If I remember correctly, the last one was also in NI, on the shore of Lough Neagh. That was very early in the reintroduction programme.
There are two Lough Dergs in Ireland. The one she was released at is bordered by Counties Clare, Tipperary and Galway. Not that it matters too much, the main point is she was shot which is a shocking act of deliberate persecution.
[Ed: Many thanks – post amended]
……someone knows who did this…..absolutely thuggery! Let’s hope someone comes forward and reports whoever pulled that trigger! Man really does despise me….and more often than not unfortunately!!
I am firmly of the belief that the laws governing ownership of firearms of all sorts is far too lenient in the UK and, it would appear, Ireland. It isn’t just the elements who commit crime, but none of the organisations supposedly regulating shooting are prepared to do anything to curb the criminal behaviour except express platitudes whilst carrying out no actions to stamp it out. When you add in the members of those organisations who spend time attacking and denigrating those, like Ruth, doing their best to stop the criminal activities, I am led to the conclusion that the majority of firearm owners are not fit to do so.
“I am led to the conclusion that the majority of firearm owners are not fit to do so.”In the only survey of which I know about, 40% of all registered gun and crossbow owners (on the Isle of Man, as it happens) had a criminal record. Astonishing:-(See https://unlock.org.uk/advice/firearms-licence-holder/#:~:text=Section%2021%20of%20the%20Firearms,convicted%20of%20a%20criminal%20offence.
Keith, The survey you make reference to was conducted on the Isle of Man, it would appear that the sample size was only 2003 people. The Isle of Man has its own firearms legislation which is different from the rest of the UK. As such the figures of approximately 40% of firearm owners having previous convictions might not be representative of the rest of UK?
However, I would suggest that it is far too easy in the UK to obtain a shotgun certificate, or own air weapons. In 2011 the Guardian reported that there were nearly 600,000 individuals possessing shotgun certificates. Nearly 142,000 people had firearms certificates, and combined, these certificates covered 1.8 million guns.These figures don’t cover air weapons which don’t require the owner to have any form of certificate.
Whilst firearms attacks on people are quite rare in the UK, that certainly doesn’t appear to be the case when it comes to wildlife.
I would argue firearms legislation hasn’t kept up with scientific knowledge and other legislation which recognises animals as sentient beings which suffer pain and distress.
As such far more needs to be done to stop firearms (or any other offensive weapons such as crossbows or catapults) being used to inflict pain, suffering and death on the nations wildlife.
I would like to see legislation introduced so that anyone convicted of a wildlife offence using a firearm, as part of their punishment to receive a life long ban on owning or possessing a firearm.
Such a reform of firearms legislation should also include a complete overall of the current General Licence system which makes it far too easy for someone to go out and kill so called pest species, often without complying with all the other steps which require non lethal methods to have been tried first.
The state of nature reports which show the steady decline of nature in the UK indicate that we have to totally rethink our relationship with nature, and that we have to introduce measures which make it far more difficult for criminals to go out and kill wildlife ,and far more easier to identify and prosecute the criminals who are responsible for killing birds like this white tailed eagle.
Oh !FFS why can’t people live and let live it’s abhorrent and unnecessary I agree with all your comments I can’t believe it again and again just constant disregard for life.
Thats frightening revelation Keith so it’s full of dangerous people with guns. I know someone who went to try and live there and they had to fill in a relocation form and you could not go if any criminal activity or offences. Not far from Ireland so easy to persecute birds of prey.