Press release from Police Scotland, 29 September 2025:
APPEAL FOR MISSING GOLDEN EAGLE
Detectives are appealing for information after a satellite-tagged golden eagle disappeared in the hills to the north of Langholm.
The tag on Tarras, a four-year-old male golden eagle, has displayed suspicious patterns and data reports, and officers are concerned he may have come to harm between Wednesday, 27 August, 2025 and Friday, 29 August, 2025.
A full search of the area where his tag last transmitted has been carried out using specialist resources, including dogs trained in tracing birds and their tags, however neither the bird nor the satellite tag have been recovered.
Tarras was translocated to the area in 2021 as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
Officers and wildlife partners have subsequently been unable to trace his mate, Wren. Although there is nothing to suggest she has come to harm, her disappearance coincides with that of Tarras and concerns are growing for her welfare.
Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “The data received from Tarras’ tag suggests that he has come to harm to the north of Langholm and efforts remain ongoing to locate him and his tag.
“We cannot say for certain that Wren has also come to harm, but her disappearance is worrying.
“Our investigation remains ongoing, and we are working with a range of partner agencies to establish more details around the disappearance of both birds.
“I would urge anyone with any information that may assist to contact us.”
Anyone with any information should call 101, quoting reference number 1987 of Friday, 26 September, 2025. Alternatively, please contact Crimestoppers though 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.
ENDS
There’s quite a bit of information missing from this press release, just as there was from the other recent press release about the poisoned Red Kite found in Perthshire.
This was a satellite-tagged territorial pair so the sudden disappearance of both of them at the same time is highly suspicious.
Why isn’t there any information provided about their last known positions according to their tag data? A police search has already taken place, so it’s not as though naming the location would provide a suspect with a chance of hiding or removing evidence.
It’d be very interesting to know the proximity of the nearest Red-legged Partridge release pen to the eagles’ last known locations…
Raptor Persecution UK 
Disappointing news after the plans to extend this project into England. And why has it taken a month for the Police to ask for info?
They’ll make discreet enquiries as to not alert the persecutors
And here we go yet again but the gamekeepers and all their organisations will whinge+whine saying there is no raptor persecution in game shooting.
Leave the f***ing birds of prey alone and appreciate and admire them for what they are. Work with them+alongside them not against them!!
So sad if these birds have been persecuted by the usual suspects, why can’t we have a system whereby if tagged birds go missing on whomever’s estate, the owners face a hefty fine and a suspension of their shooting licence? Perhaps then it will be in landowners interests to ensure birds of prey stay safe on their estates/grouse moors
The problem being that determined people dedicated to their task do often conduct Black-Ops and creep right up to and sometimes onto neighbours land (perhaps owned by a less hardline estate or under a softer keepering regime, or even owned by a pro-raptor landowner such as RSPB) to “do a job” that they believe needs doing. Kitted out with cutting edge night & thermal vision it has all the fun of playing soldiers and none of the risks save tripping over and spraining an ankle. Plenty of anecdotal stories about all this Boys Own stuff are in circulation in the keepering folklore. The other side of one is recounted in ‘Inglorious’ p.38 by an RSPB Investigator who was present when a Hen Harrier was shot close to him at first light by person(s) who were creeping about targetting birds on the boundaries.
Also with poisons they will put baits out right on the edge of their boundary (and on the other side of it). By playing the laws of averages, so that if any corpses turn up (they hardly ever do anyway) these will hopefully be some distance from their boundary implying someone else’s guilt.
It is not all that unlikely to consider that a dead (persecuted) Eagle might well turn up on the Tarras Valley Reserve land someday sooner or later having been harmed elsewhere but glided and crash-landed there – or succumbed to a (shotgun) pelleting injury and dropped off it’s perch during a cold night. Or it’s body deliberately buried there, podged into a wet peat bog of which there are plenty.
Having read and reread the police statement a few times I remain puzzled as to what the status of Wren actually is. Currently missing and without any transmissions from her tag, but the last transmission didn’t seem particularly abnormal? This is what I think they’re saying anyway.
Suffice to say, they seem in much less doubt that Tarras is likely to have been “biffed”.
These things could have been written by Sir Humphrey Appleby. Not forthcoming and not clear, and not likely to bring in any useful information a month later.
Regarding the poisoned Red Kite at Braco it took roughly 5 minutes to work out which interests lie to the North-West which a) would have a vested interest in killing birds of prey and b) would have easier access to/knowledge about the use of Aldicarb and c) have a history of bird of prey persecution (however that case might not be so clear cut). This would surely be a good starting point of sorts.
The nearest Partridge shoot I can find is 13 miles to the North-West of Langholm which is where I would imagine you are thinking of, regarding this case. I’m not sure what “North” of Langholm means in the handout…extremely vague. There are various farms however due North of Langholm which may also not be fond of Golden Eagles.
It is interesting that the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project (now called RUN) since rebranding no longer has Ross Ewing (Director of Moorland at Scottish Land & Estates…) listed as a trustee (?). I wonder if he still has any involvement with the project at all. I can understand the reason behind having him involved as a go-between but having such a staunch game shooter isn’t a very good look for a project such as this.
It is also disappointing and curious to note that in the Scottish Raptor June 2025 newsletter a photo of Merrick the Golden Eagle (shot near the Raeshaw estate) was provided by Cat Barlow of the SSGEP/RUN, even though the Eagle was already dead…and then not mention its death at all…strange.
Fairly large game rearing operation right on edge of Langholm, on the bend of river Esk, the north side before duchess bridge. And the nearby woods and cover between Esk and A7 were well stuffed with pheasants last year, don’t know about this. However I’m not saying these have any connection to the missing eagles.
Also FYI, the Eagle Projects Stakeholder Engagement Officer is Brian Burrows ex Headkeeper at Gunnerside until late 1990s.
Excellent comments by passionate people but again these people are above the law . I am in Scotland at present and we have driven hundreds of miles not always proper roads up tracks never seen a soul this country is vast to say the least you have more chance of seeing Elvis than catching the culprits under the protection of their equally unscrupulous employers with no morals . The moors are at least smaller more tracks people walking cycling a chance of seeing catching people. Breaks my heart.