Press release from Police Scotland (26 June 2026), followed by my commentary:
POLICE APPEAL AFTER SQUEAGLE THE GOLDEN EAGLE FOUND WITH SHOTGUN INJURIES
Police Scotland is appealing for information after a golden eagle was found to have been shot.
Squeagle, a four-year-old female golden eagle, was moved from the Outer Hebrides to the Lammermuir Hills in the Scottish Borders in February 2026 as part of a translocation project run by Restoring Upland Nature (RUN). She is fitted with a satellite tag which allows her movements to be monitored.
Image from Restoring Upland Nature (RUN)
After her release, Squeagle travelled through parts of northern England, including Northumberland, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales. A photograph taken in Northumberland on Monday, 4 May, 2026, showed significant damage to her wing feathers.
On Monday, 1 June, 2026, gamekeepers on an estate in the Lammermuirs became concerned after noticing the bird behaving unusually and contacted RUN. Squeagle was collected and taken to the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross for assessment.
Scans and treatment revealed she had been shot and had at least 17 shotgun pellets lodged in her body and wings. Experts believe the injuries were not recent, as the wounds had already healed.
Detective Sergeant David Lynn, National Wildlife Crime Coordinator said:
“This was a serious attack on a protected bird of prey which I utterly condemn. Thanks to the quick actions of those who reported concerns, the golden eagle was able to receive specialist treatment and has since been returned to the wild. We are working with partners across Scotland and northern England to establish where and when she was shot.
“Following treatment by veterinary specialists at the Scottish SPCA, Squeagle was released back into the wild on Saturday, 6 June, 2026. Her condition will continue to be monitored through observations and detailed analysis of satellite tracking.
“Enquiries remain ongoing, and we are working alongside our colleagues in Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire, supported by the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit to establish who was responsible“.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland, quoting incident number 1361 of 5 June 2026.
ENDS
My commentary:
First of all, plaudits to all those involved with the recovery of this injured eagle and her subsequent release back to the wild – the gamekeepers who found her and chose to raise the alarm instead of their guns, RUN staff for a quick response and rescue, and the SSPCA staff who provided urgent and expert veterinary care and rehabilitation.
Plaudits also to Police Scotland for a fairly fast and detailed press release.
What struck me most about this latest persecution incident is that this Golden Eagle had survived for four-years in the relatively persecution-free Uists, but within three months of being translocated and released in south Scotland, and venturing into northern England, someone had shot her, presumably with the intention of killing her.
This happened just a few short months after another young translocated Golden Eagle, ‘Hamlet’, was found with shotgun injuries on a grouse moor in the Scottish Borders in January this year (see here).
These crimes, along with the shooting of Golden Eagle Merrick in the Moorfoot Hills in 2023 (here), the suspicious disappearances of Golden Eagles Tarras and Wren in the Langholm area in 2025 (here), the suspicious disappearance of a White-tailed Eagle in the Moorfoot Hills in 2025 (here), and the suspicious disappearance of White-tailed Eagle G834 in the North York Moors National Park in 2026 (here) are a stark reminder of the difficulties faced by those trying to re-establish eagle populations in the region, against a residual Victorian culture of zero tolerance for raptors on large areas of land that is managed for gamebird shooting.
The police and others are undertaking a detailed analysis of Squeagle’s satellite tracking data to try and pinpoint the location where she was shot, which looks likely to have been somewhere in northern England. I don’t doubt that they’ll be able to find it, given the quality and accuracy of the tag data available to them, but even if they can determine the location, it won’t result in a prosecution / conviction, or indeed any sanction, because unlike in Scotland, General Licence restrictions and/or grouse shoot licence revocations are not available in England.
So for those who continue to target these eagles, and other raptors, especially Hen Harriers, the risk of getting caught is almost negligible so in their minds it’s still worth committing the offence.
The RSPB and some others will argue that gamebird licensing is the way ahead, so that licences can be revoked where offences have been detected, providing at least some sort of sanction against those who continue to think the law doesn’t apply to them. There’s some merit in that argument, although personally I see licensing as only a step in the right direction and we’re still to see any licence revocations in Scotland, despite multiple raptor persecution offences taking place since licensing was introduced two years ago.
I’d like to see the Westminster Government put up funding to establish a national, multi-agency response unit to investigate raptor persecution crimes, and all other crimes that are listed as National Wildlife Crime priorities. It’s all very well putting up £1 million to explore the re-establishment of Golden Eagles in northern England (see here), but without also investing in wildlife crime enforcement capabilities, many eagles that are translocated are simply going to be shot, or trapped, or poisoned, or bludgeoned to death, with zero consequences for the offenders, just as they have been for the last 70+ years.
Raptor Persecution UK 
Nearly 40 years ago when young Golden Eagles were almost regular winter visitors to Nidderdale and its surroundings a keeper I knew well said that eagles in the Lakes ( and probably Northumberland0 were not increasing because most of their young came to Yorkshire and rarely left alive. Since then nothing much has changed except the names of those responsible. The first one in I think 1970 was allegedly pole trapped in Coverdale, according to that same source.
if its been anywhere near Nidderdale this doesn’t surprise me. Utter dead zone for raptors
Not entirely having watched raptors in Nidderdale for well over 40 years. Yes it has a high persecution rate but to do that it has to have raptors to persecute.
I know I am repeating myself. But I just couldn’t in good conscience collect a bird from it’s safe natal area and release it in the Borders or northern England. I would need to be able to look that bird in the eye and say, “well mate – we have finally got on top of the persecution situation, so you will be okay. Now off you go and good luck to you”.
As it is I could only look it in the eye and say ashamedly “sorry pal, we (society) have done pretty much f-k all to get on top of persecution, so you will be shot at, you will be poisoned and you will just have to take your chances.”
And the Eagle would look back and likely say, “well take me back home then you maniac – you must be mad or just not care about me!”.
I agree with Spaghnums comment.To keep putting out birds of prey in such a climate of hate is cruel and irresponsible.These shooting estate should be shut down and put in the History books with bear baiting,cock fighting and various others revolting occupations.
I also agree with Spaghnum’s comments. Releasing these raptors in areas known for their severe persecution is equivalent to a death sentence for them.
Agreed.
Is it the case, then, that the criminal persecutors of raptors have won, and that there should not be any re-introductions/translocations of Red Kites, Golden Eagles and White-Tailed Eagles anywhere in the UK, because where they subsequently fly cannot be controlled?
““well take me back home then you maniac – you must be mad or just not care about me!”.”
“To keep putting out birds of prey in such a climate of hate is cruel and irresponsible”
“Releasing these raptors in areas known for their severe persecution is equivalent to a death sentence for them”
No of course they haven’t won. But this side won’t win either until persecutors are made to follow the law. Releasing Red Kites is a bit different – they can establish big numbers in a safe core territory IF that area is chosen well such as Derwent valley near Gateshead was, though if they wander too far they are at risk, and the next generations (once all of the safe territories are occupied) are harshly persecuted whenever they prospect even further away to establish their own territories.
It is a finely balanced decision but because eagles have massive territories there is no safe core territory to be had in south Scotland or Northern England, and as they take a long time to multiply something needs to be done to safeguard the precious few that are risked and it needs to be done over a much bigger area. In the south of Scotland Eagle project (IMO) they try to be nice to landowners and put hopes in their voluntary restraint. Not for me. I want the rule of law, and no bullshit or gentlemen’s agreements. So again, I personally come back to surveillance and cameras and catching and convicting – and of course lobbying for a lot of the legal changes (that I note you and others often mention, and I agree with) .
“No of course they haven’t won. But this side won’t win either until persecutors are made to follow the law.”
It is certainly the case that donor conservation organisations involved in international wildlife translocations require recipient conservation organisations to have properly ‘addressed’ the cause(s) of that said wildlife’s demise.
That is, they are not going to allow ‘their’ precious wildlife to be exported into an environment which is likely to prematurely kill them. There was, for example (I believe) some concern about the ethics of the Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction Project, with birds donated by France and Spain… The Project collapsed (the few donated birds failed to breed in captivity) but I suspect not before Natural England tried, and failed, to persuade the French and Spanish to just donate youngsters for release instead…
It therefore seems to me that the Scottish Government have cause to officially complain to Westminster about the English illegally killing translocated Scottish birds (if such a thing has happened)?
And why not? It would certainly receive a lot of publicity, and I think the Scots would ‘enjoy’ embarrassing Westminster?
Ethically, it might be questionable to translocate raptors to the Borders knowing Northern England was such a hotbed of persecution, and the process abandoned?
Or, on the other hand, it might be seen as ‘throwing down the gauntlet’ to officially challenge at Governmental level the lack of any proper control in Northern England?
I don’t think the choice is so much right or wrong, but right and wrong at the same time. So, do the ends justify the means?
I, personally, think they do… but only if an enormous stink was officially kicked up at any illegal persecution. Sadly, that did not happen when the (four) Isle of Wight White-tailed Eagles were illegally killed:-(
As far as I know, the Scottish Government has not issued any formal complaint. I would have, and pursued it with maximum publicity.
Which, in turn raises the question as to which is best: quietly get on and continue with the White-tailed Eagle project, or kick up a huge fuss?
An additional factor in all of that is the several grouse moor management businesses that operate moors both sides of the border to basically the same business model, often with alternating personnel who seem to do something akin to a tour of duty north and south. These few businesses have a big effect on their own, nevermind all the scores of other independently owned and in-house managed moors. Whether their business models will sooner or later (or not at all!) be obliged to change under the Scottish licensing scheme is the big unknown. And my last thought – the persecution risk as I see it is the same on the driven grouse moors of Scotland as in England. It’s just there remains thankfully many more and (much) bigger areas / gaps of non grouse moor uplands in Scotland than England.
Alastair Proud
Shooting any raptor should absolutely never be condoned. However I would have to ask who is playing ‘God’ in this case and choosing to relocate a near adult eagle from the relative safety of Uist to an area where it could be anything but safe? Also, I find it difficult to believe that it was 100% fit, after being picked up in a poor condition, and ready to released back into the same area??
“However I would have to ask who is playing ‘God’ in this case and choosing to relocate a near adult eagle from the relative safety of Uist to an area where it could be anything but safe?”
The answer is here:
https://www.goldeneaglessouthofscotland.co.uk/about
To add to my comment above this bird was presumably failing for it to be caught on 1st June, however to release it back to the wild 5 days later seems a very surprising thing to have done. Is there any further information on how a large bird like this could have recovered so quickly?
I agree. How did they get hold of it? To what extent must it have been unable to fly? And what can be done in 5 days anyway? Feed it up and give it antibiotics or something? Gut feeling says it just can’t be in good condition. I’m baffled.