Press release from Police Scotland (9 February 2026)
APPEAL AFTER GOLDEN EAGLE SHOT IN THE SCOTTISH BORDERS
Wildlife officers are appealing to the public for information after a four-year-old golden eagle was shot in the Scottish Borders.
On Tuesday, 20 January, 2026, police were made aware a gamekeeper from an estate in Stanhope had discovered an injured golden eagle on Thursday, 15 January, 2026.
The bird was wearing a satellite tracking device and was identified as Hamlet, a four-year-old golden eagle that had been relocated from the Outer Hebrides to the Scottish Borders in 2023.
Hamlet was examined by a vet, who confirmed shotgun pellet injuries to his wing. He received treatment and made a full recovery. Hamlet has since been returned to the wild.
Officers investigating the crime have reviewed Hamlet’s tracking data and following consultation with raptor and veterinary experts, it’s believed Hamlet was shot during the first week of January 2026 in an area between Stanhope and Glenbreck, off the A701 Broughton to Moffat Road.
Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: “It is extremely disappointing that we are investigating another golden eagle persecution crime. Very few people would have the means, opportunity and motive to commit this crime and I would urge anyone with any information to contact us so we can identify whoever is responsible for shooting Hamlet.”
Police Scotland, with the support of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit, is conducting a thorough enquiry in the local area to identify the culprit. Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1221 of 3 February, 2026. Alternatively, you can pass on your information anonymously to Crimestoppers using 800 555 111.
ENDS
‘Hamlet’ is the sixth victim of eagle persecution in the Scottish Borders in recent years:
Golden Eagle ‘Fred’ disappeared in an area managed for gamebird shooting in the Pentland Hills in January 2018 (his satellite tag transmitted from the North Sea a few days later – here).
Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot whilst she was sleeping in a tree next to a grouse moor in the Moorfoot Hills in October 2023 (we’re STILL waiting for NatureScot to make a decision about whether a General Licence restriction will be imposed as a consequence – see here).
Golden Eagles ‘Tarras’ and ‘Wren’ disappeared in an area managed for gamebird shooting near Langholm in August 2025 (see here).
A White-tailed Eagle ‘disappeared’ in the Moorfoot Hills area in November 2025 (here).
All six of these eagles were satellite-tagged. Nobody has been prosecuted in relation to any of these incidents.
Raptor Persecution UK 
How many shooting estates near there?
If only there was some way of looking this up?
Oh wait! I just have…
But we must pretend that such events have no – I emphasise absolutely none at all, ever – links to shooting estates and anyone who might dream of thinking so is very, very naughty. So don’t do that.
Eagle discovered by a gamekeeper (Conor Kelly, head keeper of the Stanhope estate apparently) on the 15th January but only reported to the police on the 20th. Not exactly the “swift action” that Ross Ewing claims then…? What took so long in reporting it to the police.
“Conor Kelly, headkeeper at Stanhope and Patervan Estate near Biggar, has had a tangible and decisive impact in furthering the reputation of gamekeeping in Scotland. Stanhope and Patervan is an island grouse – a characteristic which brings additional challenges in respect of its management, particularly when it comes to predator control. The estate’s reliance on predator control has provided a platform through which Conor has become an important advocate for the sector. Not only did he provide expert evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s rural affairs and islands committee – as well as meeting with Ministers and officials – about snaring, but the estate has also recently opened its doors to talk in frank terms about what is required to deliver good land management”, Scottish Game Awards 2024 – Winner Information.
According to experts the eagle was shot somewhere between Stanhope and Glenbreck.
“Very few people would have the means, opportunity and motive to commit this crime”, according to Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator. That leaves the question of who would have the “means, opportunity and motive” to shoot the eagle.
Something smells like s***.
It always does in these situations. Until there is REAL punishment, named shamed, fined, jailed and shooting is banned completely for anything wild and alive, nowt will change, especially with this s*** government.
I should have thought that they could identify the calibre of the bullet and then enquire who has a compatible gun in that area. The gun license records would make it easy to find out who has a gun that uses those bullets. I doubt that someone would travel miles to that place on the off chance of shooting a golden eagle. In the event they used pellets then it would still be possible to find out who has a weapon which uses those locally.
It wasn’t a bullet Frances, it was shot gun pellet damage. It’s in the blog, above.
Let us see now: which group around a shooting estate is most likely to own a shot gun?
Which group in a rural, farming area is also likely to own a shot gun?
How many folk in that sort of Borders area would belong to one of those groups?
It’s a lot, before we get on to other possible shot gun owners.
As has been pointed out amy number of times, the occupational groups most likely to be involved in such shootings are not hard to find, but identifying actual shooters of raptors and having concrete, admissible evidence of committing a specific shooting is the tricky bit. This becomes trickier when the police wait before requesting information, will not supply exact locations nor exact timings and often look like they are making a tokenistic attempt at “investigation” so they can claim they did something.
I’d agree with your comments on the police in relation to some police forces, Murmur, but in this instance I think the statement put out by Police Scotland was timely and actually spot on, in terms of the information released, and the tone.
Yes, a fast turn around for information and Police Scotland actually provided details of suspected timescales and whereabouts for the incident occuring.
RUN (Restoring Upland Nature)/South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project who tagged and released this eagle failed to mention those specifics (timescales and detailed whereabouts of the incident), which I find extremely disappointing.