Police Scotland appeal for information (26 August 2024):
APPEAL FOR INFORMATION FOLLOWING DEATH OF OSPREY IN PERTHSHIRE
We are appealing for information following the death of an osprey in Perthshire.
On Monday, 12 August, 2024 the injured osprey was found in distress by a gamekeeper in the Glen Doll area. The SSPCA was called and the bird taken to the wildlife resource centre in Fishcross for treatment, however it had to be euthanised due to the severity of the injuries.
Following further investigations, x-rays revealed the osprey had been shot and Police Scotland was contacted.
Officers are appealing for anyone with information on what happened to contact them.
Detective Constable Daniel Crilley, Wildlife Crime Investigation, said: “It’s illegal to kill any protected species and we’re working with partner agencies to fully investigate the circumstances.
“Information from the local community is vital and I’d ask anyone who was in the area around 12 August and thinks they may have information which could assist our enquiries to come forward. We’re keen to speak to anyone who may have seen anything suspicious or has information about shooting activity in the area.”
Anyone with information is urged to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting reference 1671 of 26 August. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
ENDS
It’s unusual for an Osprey to be shot in the UK, given that they’re a fish-eating specialist and therefore no threat to gamebirds such as red grouse, pheasants or partridges.
Police Scotland’s appeal for information doesn’t say what type of gun was used (shotgun or air rifle) which would have been evident from the x-ray, nor the extent of the osprey’s injuries (i.e. was it able to still fly? If not, it was obviously shot close to where it was found), so it’s quite difficult to comment in detail.
However, given it was found on the opening day of the annual grouse shooting season, in the Angus Glens, an area dominated by driven grouse moors and with a long, long history of illegal raptor persecution, then it’s difficult not to perceive this osprey has been shot by somebody out on a day’s grouse shooting.
Perhaps a case of mistaken identity? One too many sloe gins? Something similar has happened before, that time it was a buzzard shot during a pheasant shoot (see here).
Oh, and the osprey shooting happened inside the Cairngorms National Park.
What better advertisement for the gamebird shooting industry, eh?
This will be an interesting investigation to follow. If it was shot on a moor when a grouse shoot was taking place, how will that impact on the estate’s new licence?
One to watch.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Oh no :( I presume it wasnt a ringed one
Time all killing stopped everywhere just innocent animals cruel humans makes me sick .
Glen Doll is at the end of Glen Clova and there is no driven grouse shooting there . However it is on the boundary of Balmoral estate . It would be interesting to know exactly where the bird was found.
some one mistook it for a different bird of prey??
someone knew what they were doing.
close down the surrounding estates for 3 years this may teach these monied killers a lesson.
Any fish farms nearby?
No fish farms .
You say ‘shotgun or air rifle’. Why only those two?
What else, do you suppose?
there is no legal quarry that looks anything like an osprey or a buzzard. The only legal quarry on the 12th August is grouse or a bird on the general licence. If they cannot identify what they are shooting at they shouldn’t have a gun. Another nail in the coffin of shooting hopefully.
Here here
Here here.
“there is no legal quarry that looks anything like an osprey or a buzzard”
There is no legal quarry which looks like a Hen Harrier either. Illegal persecution is not a misnomer for mistaken identity.
Found and handed in by a gamekeeper? Doesn’t fit your usual stereotype does it?
appalling news. I await all the details of the investigation. Found and handed in by a gamekeeper is what you would expect from anyone who was concerned about an injured Osprey. ….. such behaviour should not be seen as anything but normal, …… ìn a normal world it wouldn’t be seen as exceptional either. Nor should it preclude a thorough investigation of who was present in that area at that time, or who was in possession of a gun. …. look forward to more details being offered by the community present.
Found and handed in by a gamekeeper what a load of phychological bollocks trying to save face for the shooting industry!! xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx xxxxx. The proof is there in front of the police shooting hunting should be banned all unnecessary cruelty.
I don’t think that’s fair, Karen. This gamekeeper tried his best to help the injured osprey.
who’s to say that gamekeeper did not injure the Osprey himself then hand it in and look the hero???
Anything’s possible, Andrew966 but I’d say that’s well within the realms of a conspiracy theory.
Thank you Andrew 966 and sphagnum morose for your useful comments sorry if I’ve offended but I live amongst some awful sad goings on In my back garden and my heart breaks at all this unnecessary destruction of any critter just going about it’s business life’s hard enough for them just trying to survive in general.
I’ve met enough of these shooters to know that many of them regard killing as their greatest pleasure. Nothing is safe. They are opportunistic and a passing Osprey is certainly going to be targeted. As an aside, I recall the horrors of the autumn migration in central France, where ornithologists would be stationed at ‘cols’ counting the passing birds, only for these same creatures to be shot just a few hundred metres further up the hill behind. The ‘chasseurs’ would drive past the birders, gloating and sometimes even waving dead birds in their hands. They really are something else.
They wonder why we don’t want them to shoot Grouse. This shows they think it gives them permission to shoot anything that flies.
In my own experience, the Osprey is one (aming very few) species of raptor that is not targeted by grousekeepers. Going back even to second-hand stories from the 60’s & 70’s, I have never heard any gossip or tales to the contrary. This is probably because they are usually going longish distances from lake / estuary / reservoir to their nest and are a decent height when over the moors. If they had the unfortunate habit of flying relatively low from upland stream to upland stream again and again (and inadvertently scaring grouse!) the way Herons do, then it might be a different story & they would get the treatment that Herons get on lots of grouse moors i.e. shot.
Could it have been accidentally shot by a careless overexcited Gun in the butts? Possibly – but only if the loader wasn’t paying attention, part of their job is to stop wrong species and people being shot. If so then a dozen or more people may well have witnessed it. Or it could be another brand of idiot altogether or for other reasons.
Still, good on the keeper who reported it, he might well get some stick behind his back
Was it the young unringed juvenile from Alyth? God I hope not?
I agree Monti Rose, been a tough year in Scotland for Ospreys, and Alyth lost 2 of their 3 chicks early on.