Police Scotland have issued the following appeal for information this evening:
‘We are appealing for information after the remains of an osprey were found near Dunkeld, Perth and Kinross, on Friday, 3 May, 2024.
The protected species is believed to have been nesting at Loch of the Lowes, close to where it was found.
Enquiries are at an early stage to establish the full circumstances.
Inspector James Longden said: “It is illegal to kill any protected species and we are working closely alongside partner agencies to confirm what has happened here and whether there is any criminality involved.
“Information from the local community could prove vital and it is important we speak to anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area, or who may know something which could assist our investigation.
“Any information can be passed to Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 3266 of Friday, 3 May, 2024. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
The remains are believed to be Osprey LM12, the famous resident male also known as Laddie.
The police haven’t yet revealed the cause of death but the fact they’ve issued an appeal for information suggests that there is at least a suspicion of criminality.
If a post mortem subsequently confirms the osprey was killed illegally, it will cause upset for thousands of people around the world who have followed this charismatic osprey’s story for years via the SWT webcam, and will once again bring international shame on Scotland for its continued failure to protect birds of prey.
Raptor Persecution UK 
I am in tears over this. Anyone who knows anything please 🙏 contact police Scotland. Laddie was a firm favourite of mine, I watched him and his mate NCO every spring, after migration from Africa, arrive at Loch of the Lowes to breed. He was followed by lots of You Tube nestcam watchers regularly, a real legend with huge fan base. I can’t believe someone thinks it’s OK to pull a trigger to extinguish a total legend. Because whoever you are, you’ve totally failed to do that. If caught, I guess another slap on the wrist will be given. Useless. But at least everyone will know you and we won’t ever forget. Ever. Just so as you know.
Thanks, Patrick. It’s important to emphasise that police have not yet revealed the cause of death.
tragic
If its human intervention , its time long prison sentence should be definite. Personally hangingvwould be better. In my opinion.
police don’t get involved in natural causes though. Obviously murdered by another raptor hating human.
The police put out a similar appeal when an eagle that was found last year in Perthshire. which later was found to have died of natural causes.
Disturbing news, let’s hope the reason for the loss of Laddie is not due to human action. However if it is due to persecution I hope the authorities will receive the help to find the perpetrator/s from the local community. Everyone needs to come together to help ensure the reasons for this tragedy are determined, and evidence collected.
The very fact police are appealing for information means that it is very likely that Laddie has met his demise by foul play. Shooting would be the obvious cause.
Patrick, I totally agree with you. I love watching the Osprey nests but now feel they are very vulnerable because they are so public. What a sad end after flying all the way here 😞
Heartbreaking to hear Laddie is dead.LC0 will have difficulty hatching the eggs by herself so this death has a large knock on effect.I hope this isn’t foul play and if it is then being such a high profile case then it’s a chance to increase prosecutions and fines for these offences if the sick individuals are even caught.
Exactly, my thoughts entirely
Yes so sad he has flown all that way without coming to harm.Words fail me there has to be more to be done to prevent all this carnage on a massive scale. I know there is no cause of death yet bloody disgraceful this country is so wick with these sick sad individuals who must have sorry sad lives stricter gun laws stricter gun licensing identification of guns cartridges bullets there just must be a way forward to stop this unnecessary upset.
This news has broken so many hearts. Laddie had a huge following and was a much loved bird. The language used by the police infers the suggested cause of death is obvious. A PM will confirm it. Hopefully more information will be forthcoming, but I want to know the circumstances in which he was found. I know that area a bit. How do you just come across the body of an Osprey, or was he deliberately left in a spot where he’d be found? Will wait and see. Just devastating nonetheless.
Staff and volunteers have been out searching for him most of last week, so I suspect it was one of them who found him. It’s an absolute tragedy, if it was foul play, and although we don’t know for sure, my thoughts are that it probably was. Hope they can do the post mortem quickly and establish what happened, one way or the other
Yes, I have wondered if one of the volunteers found him. The location of where he was found could be crucial to understanding what happened to him. I can just about bear it if he died of natural causes, but am tortured by the possibility he was taken by the hand of a human and that he might have suffered.
Thank you. Anything you feel may be of help, especially given your knowledge of the area will help the Police. Obviously once more facts are established. We must just wait for now. Bless you 🙏
I’m not diminishing this pathetic, shitty and selfish killing (presumably) by human hand of some arrogant and self-entitled arsehole. But one thing that strikes me – the police have quite rightly put this appeal out straight away – apparently the day after the bird was found, and while the cause of death is still not verified. Whereas – for no good reason – we see time and again it often takes police weeks or months to go public about a raptor found dead on a grouse moor – even tagged ones, often using the excuse that the cause of death is still being investigated. Shady politics I always suppose. Funny thing though.
It was known that Laddie was missing from the nest. I think he’d last been seen on 28th April, so this was high profile missing bird. The Wildlife Trust knew he had been recovered on 3rd May so there would have pressure on the police to make this public as so many people were asking about him and were worried for his safety. .
Yes you are right, public awareness and interest will have been mounting as Laddie and was a bit of a “TV star”. Public profile and a livestream must make a difference then? So, just a thought – thinking back as one example to the case of Susie the Hen Harrier (you probably remember her chicks got stamped to death on Whernside). If that nesting area or the nest itself had a popular livestream camera on it 24/7 and lots of viewers were following it, and the authorities knew that lots of the public were “invested” in the birds progress – then would NY police have been minded to pull their fingers out their arses a bit quicker and more thoroughly to investigate?
So would it be a good idea to livestream more of the most vulnerable birds at the most vulnerable times – peregrines, harriers, kites, SEO?
Surely the landowners wouldn’t object as we so often hear they are really upset when a tragedy occurs and would surely be anxious to prevent it!
Just thinking aloud…
*Guardian podcast which includes journalist interview with the police in part 3 is worth listening to for refresher.
What state of mind and misinformed individual was responsible for such a cowardly, low act? Their life must be one of low achievement, misery, jealousy and selfishness. I hope they get caught and exposed for their callous act. Such a shame that a bird that achieved so much can be wasted by someone that achieves so little.
Thank you and well said. 👍
this senseless killing of these magnificent birds make my blood boil. The police must know who the gamekeepers are in every area that thinks happens, surely something can be done. This is happening just so some gun happy, brain dead morons can go and shoot grouse .
Osprey hunt predominantly fish and aren’t a threat to the bird shooting world.
There is something which immediately occurred to me and hasn’t been suggested so far… although without a definitive cause of death this does enter into the realms of speculation. However, having said that, Police Scotland must have their suspicions, otherwise they would have been unlikely to put out an appeal for information.
Ospreys are hardly known for taking other birds, even chicks, but it is not impossible. Therefore they present a very minor threat to shooting interests, rather more so (I guess) to fish farms.
But could this be an indication of a new ‘gloves-off’ attitude from some in the shooting fraternity in response/revenge for the Royal Assent of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act?
That was something which I feared might happen, especially from some sectors while the shooting industry at large tried to come to terms with the new reality.
I am also struck by the quickness of this Police Scotland appeal. Could that also be a response to the new legislation? In which case, I do hope so.
Meanwhile, we await definitive news from the post-mortem…
This is where I think all bullets used by gamekeepers/farmers should be stamped and registered to the user, this would make the perpetrators of illegal killings obvious. First of all game shooting is totally ridiculous “sport”, as it is just so unnatural and it is the cause of these beautiful raptors being persecuted. More regulation is needed as the issue is becoming out of hand.
very good points. 👍 Thank you
“This is where I think all bullets used by gamekeepers/farmers should be stamped and registered to the user, this would make the perpetrators of illegal killings obvious.”
‘bullets’?
I agree entirely with the principle mentioned above, and surely technology exists, even to insert a coding /ink dye/ stamping , into each pellet inside every shotgun cartridge. Only that licence holder is then issued with said cartridges. If there is a will there is always a way. But thank you for playing ‘Devil’s advocate ‘ as you seem to be doing!
“surely technology exists, even to insert a coding /ink dye/ stamping , into each pellet inside every shotgun cartridge”
No. Have you ever looked into the issue?
Billions of shotgun cartridges are made every year. Even if you could justify the phenomenal expense of uniquely coding the contents, and keeping an international log of every owner of every cartridge ever made, I’m not at all sure there are sufficient variations even in smartwater to cover such volumes.
It would ruin the effectiveness of using technologies such as smartwater for marking valuable items.
And, because shotgun cartridges are so low tech, any such system is easily avoided/invalidated. Some people already make their own – it is kitchen table stuff. Why wouldn’t they do so if they were intent on committing a crime?
The NRA and BASC have been all over this for years.
Then maybe the solution is to ban the bloody lot of them. No guns except for police, armed forces. And just for the record, you don’t sound very upset about any of this. Maybe this isn’t the right place for you. Just a suggestion.
“And just for the record, you don’t sound very upset about any of this. Maybe this isn’t the right place for you. Just a suggestion.”
I am a scientist. In my time I have done quite significant national and international work for the environment. Your continued health depends to some extent on work I started, and work I completed continues to inform governments around the world, and will do so for many years to come…
Your support of “all bullets used by gamekeepers/farmers should be stamped and registered to the user” is impractical.
Why does pointing that out upset you?
Highly likely in my opinion if it was persecution.
Why so long for cause of death?
Sent from my iPhone
>
How long does it take you to diagnose a poison, for example?
The officer dealing with this case is not back until next Friday.
How very convenient! Same old story. Thanks.
he’ll be back just after all evidence has disappeared
“How very convenient! Same old story. Thanks.”
Don’t you believe that the Police should have any time off, then?
[Ed: Keith, can you please stop picking fights on here over stupid, petty points? Your comments on issues of substance are very welcome – these repetitive, aggressive, point-scoring comments are not. Thanks]
Thanks Ruth. 👍
just a suggestion, is there anyone computer literate enough to set up a page to collect donations so a reward can be paid to anyone who gives information which leads to the arrest/conviction(if the death was caused by human intervention) of the perpertrator, if whatever is raised is not required as reward then the donations can be given to the Scottish Wildlife Trust?,
I would certainly support that idea. No hesitations. Definitely want this individual to face justice. Such as it is. It will at least make some of these non-humans perhaps reconsider their vile actions. Thanks.
It does unfortunately seem like someone has been at it again.
Although we have to keep in mind that the Perthshire Police have recently been heavily criticized for taking over a week to establish that a man had died by being shot, thereby losing any likelihood of finding meaningful evidence at the crime scene. Maybe they are just putting it out there to cover themselves. Although hopefully this will be handled by the wildlife crime officers who will be more aware.
Thanks Editor, this is not the place to pick fights, we should be fighting to stop this happening, we all have valid points, we all care..
Although we are not told about the circumstances in which the bird was found, I believe that much credit must go to the finder(s) if its discovery was the result of an organised search. As regards establishing the cause of death, surely the Police could, at least, have got it to a vets for X-ray to check for lead shot. This would not necessarily have been absolutely conclusive but it would have provided a lead as to whether shooting with a shotgun had occurred at some juncture. The detection of lead shot by X-ray could then have prompted a physical examination to check for adjacent fresh wounds to rule out the possibility that the lead traces were indicative of old wounds from a previous shooting incident, as has been known to have happened with Red Kites.
“As regards establishing the cause of death, surely the Police could, at least, have got it to a vets for X-ray to check for lead shot.”
How do you know that they have not? The public appeal was published here on May 4th, with the find being dated May 3rd. Veterinary practices are busy places, and the living take precedence over the dead, regarding access to resources.
Also, we know nothing of the state of the body. It has been stated that the presumed Osprey has been missing for a while, so there is every likelihood of a significant degree of liquefaction, meaning solid objects lodged in soft tissue may move, adding difficulty to analysis.
In that case the suspected crime scene would also need careful examination.
Or, it could be that body was found near bait, and that retrieved substances require chemical analysis.
We do not know. It could still be the case that the Osprey died of natural causes.
I think the Police deserve some thanks for such a prompt call for help.
I’m not suprised sadly – it appears the perps of such crimes have seen how even those convicted are given a free pass by the law via ridiciously low sentences so essentially is a consequence free crime
My next comment was going to be why an osprey they eat fish predominantly but you have all graciously and eloquently said and expressed everything possible. Why can’t bullets be traceable my friend once had a mammogram and the radiographer couldn’t decide the result so as not to loose the site of interest they inserted a minute titanium marker with the initials of the operator on it ?? That’s if he was shot bless him .
“Why can’t bullets be traceable”
Because bullets are easily manipulated. Any marker of any kind can be easily removed before being inserted into the weapon, if the person concerned was intent on committing a crime.
(The same with shotgun cartridges).
Injecting titanium into soft tissue is considerably easier than injecting into metal. The cost, to make every bullet ever produced in the world unique, would be phenomenally expensive, even if it were remotely feasible (which it isn’t).
If the modern human race cannot do it for murder, how could it do it for wildlife?
I strongly believe that the law should be changed so that video evidence is admissible as evidence in criminal trials regardless of how it was obtained. At the worst, setting up a covert camera is a civil offence, i.e. trespass. As I have said before, could you imagine the uproar if a murderer was let off because the video showing them commit the act wasn’t obtained legally?
If it turns out that this bird has died at the hand of a human, I will pay a reward of £5,000 cash to anyone who offers information which leads to a successful criminal prosecution. I will double it if the criminal is immediately sent down for a minimum 6 months custodial sentence.