Category: Persecution Incidents in Irish Republic

2 sea eagles poisoned in ireland

BBC News 21st Feb. 2008 An attempt to reintroduce one of the world’s largest birds of prey into Ireland has suffered a setback.   

Fifteen white-tailed eagles were brought from Norway to the Killarney National Park in Kerry last June.

Two were found dead on Monday. Toxicology tests for poison are being carried out on them. (see footnote)

One bird was found beside a dead sheep, which is also being analysed. The National Parks and Wildlife Service in Kerry is investigating the matter.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/7256420.stm

A few days later the two white-tailed sea eagles were confirmed as having been poisoned.

Inquiry after red kite shot

August 2007. One of the 30 red kite chicks sent to Ireland in a project to reintroduce the species there has been found shot dead.

red kite chicks

The kite was among a batch taken from Powys to the mountains of County Wicklow six weeks ago.

Police in Ireland are investigating after it was found with seven shotgun pellets .Tony Cross of the Welsh Kite Trust in Rhayader, who worked on the scheme, said the shooting was a setback but did not “invalidate” the plan.

Full story. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6972121.stm

Young golden eagle poisoned in Ireland

The body of the poisoned golden eagle found in Ireland in February 2010.

Raptor persecution is not just limited to Scotland. It is also prevalent in other parts of the UK and the Irish Republic. We will be highlighting these incidents on this blog in due course, beginning with the young golden eagle that was found poisoned in Ireland in February 2010.

Any golden eagle poisoning event is tragic, but this one particularly so. This 10 month old eagle hatched in the wild in Donegal in 2009 and became one of the first wild-bred golden eagles in Ireland for over 100 years. The Golden Eagle Trust has been working hard to re-establish a population of golden eagles in Ireland, after they were persecuted to extinction during the last century. Young golden eagle chicks have been donated from nests across Scotland (typically from nests containing two chicks where usually only one chick would survive naturally) and released and monitored throughout north-west Ireland.

This eagle had been poisoned by Nitroxynil, which had been poured over the fleece of a dead lamb.

For further detailed information, please see: http://www.goldeneagle.ie/news_viewnews.php?x=5&z=132&news_id=11&article=262