Press release from Police Scotland (31 August 2026)
APPEAL AFTER BIRD OF PREY POISONED IN ABERDEENSHIRE
Officers are appealing for information after a bird of prey was poisoned in Aberdeenshire.
On 30 June, 2026, a member of the public was walking at Morven Hill, near Dinnet when they found a dead red kite.
Following enquiries, it was established that the red kite had been poisoned.
Wild Crime Liaison Officer Constable Ann Ashman said: “Red kites are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is illegal to kill this protected species.
“Poisoning a bird or animal is not only cruel and callous, but it can harm other wildlife as well as members of the public. The use of poison in a public area is extremely dangerous and poses a significant risk to anyone who comes into contact with it.
“Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances. We would urge the public not to handle any dead animals they may find.
“I would appeal to anyone with any information about the poisoning of these birds to contact us.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 2910 of 30 June 2026. Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
ENDS
Raptor Persecution UK 
Is the picture a red kite? I thought they had forked tails.
Yes, that’s a Red Kite. The tail doesn’t always show in the classic forked shape.
Especially if, as in this case, it is a juvenile, they have a shallower fork to start with.
When the very recent case of red kite shooting in the Cairngorms NP (also in Aberdeenshire) was thrown out of court, it was a signal to the criminals to up their persecution of raptors, because you are untouchable!
Through all this the National Park Authority do nothing.
Totally agree. Laws are useless if they cant be implemented
Is the 2 month delay in asking for info because it really does takes that long to get a post mortem done? I can hardly remember where I was 2 weeks ago never mind 2 months.
“Is the 2 month delay in asking for info because it really does takes that long to get a post mortem done?”
Not the post mortem so much as the toxicology tests required “According to a 2021 report published by the U.S. Department of Justice, the average turnaround time, or the average duration to complete a toxicology case, is 33.3 days, with public toxicology labs taking an average of 55.2 days”
Keith, I’m not sure that citing a report from the US Dept of Justice has any relevance to the speed of toxicology testing in the UK. We know that toxicology testing here, and especially in Scotland, can be done as quickly as just a few days.
According to the published data I found the turnaround in the UK and Scotland was worse than in the USA.
https://withfarra.co.uk/guides/how-long-coroner-cases-take
‘Cases requiring toxicology results take 6–12 weeks because laboratory turnaround adds 4–8 weeks to the investigation.”
Scottish Police Authority. Forensic Services Directors Report. Post Mortem Toxicology:
“Turnaround times have been reduced from a high of 173 days in July to 49 days and the target of 35 days for Non-Priority cases is expected to be achieved in January 2024.”
Keith – the report you’ve presumably found on a google search relates to human toxicology and post mortems. It’s not relevant. There are specialist wildlife toxicology units in the UK, who can do extremely fast turnarounds when required. Sometimes there are delays, sometimes not.
Human toxicology gets a higher priority than wildlife… “Sometimes there are delays, sometimes not.” doesn’t answer the user’s question. Toxicology is a complex question. I think the example turnaround was reasonable for a potential crime scene… But if you pay privately then you might get much quicker results…
All of this does not stop the police saying straight away ” A red kite has been found dead in suspicious circumstances. Whilst we await forensic and toxicology reports please contact us immediately if you have any relevant information.”
“All of this does not stop the police saying straight away…”
Very true, but from the Friends of the Dales’ webinars we know – in England and Wales at least – it is up to the local police force alone to coordinate these things, and if the remaining Police and Crime Commissioners – or the Regional Mayors which are now replacing them under the Labour Government – (a) do not even bother to record wildlife crime and (b) therefore do not prioritise solving wildlife crime, then we are unlikely to see much change there.
In Scotland, however, I believe it is down to local Chief Constables and the national Chief Constable, under the direction of the Scottish Government, to set priorities… and wildlife crimes are recorded:
https://www.gov.scot/publications/wildlife-crime-in-scotland-2024/pages/recorded-crime/
At least the location is a bit less vague than is often the case, but still has the usual time delay before asking for information.
Got to be seen to do something, eh?