Press statement from North Yorkshire Police (1st June 2026):
INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY AFTER DISAPPEARANCE OF EAGLE
We are appealing for information after the disappearance of a white-tailed eagle.
The satellite-tagged juvenile white-tailed eagle (G834) was born in the wild in Dorset in 2025 and travelled widely across England this spring. On 30 April 2026, it arrived in the western side of the North York Moors.
Overnight into 1 May, the tag device did not communicate. There have been no further transmissions since then.
Following analysis by the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the eagle’s disappearance is being treated as suspicious, and an investigation is underway by North Yorkshire Police.
Anyone with any information is asked to call North Yorkshire Police on 101, quoting reference 12260086274.
ENDS
This press statement from North Yorkshire Police couldn’t be more vague.
Given the location, and the details of this young eagle’s final hours (as revealed by its satellite tag), there’s an awful lot of information that’s missing from this appeal.
I’ll be writing more about it shortly…
UPDATE 3 June 2026: More news on the satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle that ‘disappeared’ on a grouse shooting estate in the North York Moors National Park (here)
UPDATE 6 June 2026: Satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle ‘disappeared’ on Snilesworth Estate, North York Moors National Park (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 
If that bird has been harmed then that is absolutely gutting, to arrive on the moors on the 30th and not even make it through to the next day beggars belief, do these keepers have an alarm system that goes off as soon as a BOP arrives on their patch?
The 1st white tail to fledge from Dorset in 240 years wiped out in the blink of an eye in the usual location the North Moors National graveyard. To call it a National park is a farce the place is a disgrace for its record of wildlife crime primarily raptors , a national park should be something to be proud of i know its owned by various gunny scumbags but this shite government really needs to step in not just here but across England the outlook for the proposed reintroduction programmes is worrying at best ..
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I think its dispicable as are the people and we and they know who the culprits are. Put some serious punishment in place and show you mean it. These mealy mouthed feeble comments and press releases are frankly a complete and utter waste of everything, time, resources and they just dilute even more. There should be fines of 50,000 for every protected bird that disappears and we know has been killed and whoever is responsible whether shoot individual gamekeeper makes no difference. Its 50,000 and every penny paid immediately or 25 years hard prison no messing.
×××kers there are never not at it, absolute joke that this NP still indulges the Grouse mafia!!
The fact the police have stated this birds disappearance is suspicious says it all. The evidence of the criminal persecution of birds of prey associated with game bird shooting is so overwhelming that there really isn’t any excuse for the government not to act and pass legislation requiring all game bird shooting to be licensed, so that estates where criminal persecution is suspected to be occurring can immediately have their licence revoked. However as white tailed eagles also generate irrational fear amongst sheep farmers, and April was lambing time there has to be a risk the disappearance of this bird might have nothing to do with the shooting industry.
Sadly, it most probable any police enquiries will be meet with a wall of silence and denials.
Most visitors to the North Yorks Moors National Park would be thrilled if they saw a white tailed eagle, and it is beyond belief such magnificent birds can not be safe in a National Park.
What is is also clear is the sheer scale of raptor persecution taking place within North Yorkshire, which has been an ongoing problem for many years. As this is supposedly a national wildlife crime priority, then there really has to be increased pressure on the North Yorkshire Police senior leadership team to come up with a strategy to tackle this issue. Failure to tackle this problem is something which should be raised by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary next time North Yorkshire Police is reviewed, as failing to effectively reduce wildlife crime in the county will be a hindrance to the governments policies on restoring nature and improving biodiversity.
absolutely beggars belief. Can nothing live in peace on these moorlands? I live here in the NYMNpark and this persecution is heartbreaking.
If we cannot protect them should we not pause further released and concentrate on closing down grouse shooting and other hunting estates.They have passed their sell by date, elitist leftovers.It is cruel to send these beautiful birds to almost certain death.
Im sick of hearing about this happening in North Yorks. Absolutely unacceptable.
The cops need to come down like a tonne of bricks on this.
Government needs to get serious and legislate /introduce harsh penalties & licensing.
Can anything be done to get this on the radar ? Petition ? Email campaign ?
Fat fines and jail time !
This is so upsetting and I am almost numb with rage. The government really must pull its finger out this time and introduce a licensing system and introduce tough punishments, including long prison sentences. That poor bird didn’t last five minutes in this world and we are all the poorer for it.
Some xxxxx woman representing BSAC was on TV recently saying that registering Grouse Shooting estates was not needed because they totally oppose the killing of raptors. [Ed: last sentence removed as libellous].
A month after the “disappearance” before appealing for information?
No details of the location, especially when this will be known?
It’s almost like the local police are trying not to know anything, as usual.
This is just the tip of the iceberg . Following the petition to ban driven grouse shooting the present Labour administration did not move a jot from the long established line by previous governments that all is well with game shooting in England during & following the “debate” in parliament. The only Labour MP that attended was blatantly bias for driven grouse shooting. The Labour policies on the environment are extremely disappointing and completely out of keeping with public opinion.
this is a total disgrace.. this young bird could have bred more of its kind and increased the population considerably.. if it’s been shoot then the person who killed it should be fined ( minimum of £50000 ) and lose his livelyhood completely.. no ifS or butS finded and imprisoned.. if he can’t/won’t pay the fine then his property should be sized to pay it.. is there no way by using the information on the birds tracker..? that it’s last whereabouts can be confirmed..? So that the area or landowner closest to were the bird’s tracker gave it’s location can be identified..?? I sincerely hope so.. and it gives the police/ or someone else somewhere to start looking for any signs (feathers, etc) can be looked for..? I truly hope that it is a malfunction of the tracker..? And the bird hasn’t been shoot and hopefully it is cited/ observed.? Very very soon.. and confirmation that it’s still alive is forthcoming..
Times out of number this has happened, innumerable different types of birds of prey.
Grouse shooting is an anachronism a thing of the past for an elite few, monied snobs, served by sycophantic forelock tugging toadies
This is the red line. ENOUGH