Last month, a press release from Wildlife Poisoning Research UK (WPRUK) revealed that more White-tailed Eagles had been poisoned in Dorset, with high concentrations of Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) being found in their corpses. These deaths are in addition to the high profile poisoning of an eagle in 2022 and Dorset Police’s appalling botched investigation.
WPRUK made the point that the details of these, and other poisonings, were being with withheld by Government agencies, and that the Government- approved Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme is a ‘total failure’.
I’m delighted to see that Private Eye has picked up on this story in its latest edition (thanks to the blog reader who alerted me).
Press release from Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Forestry England & Exmoor National Park Authority (4 August 2026)
THE FIRST WHITE-TAILED EAGLES RELEASED IN EXMOOR NATIONAL PARK
The return of white-tailed eagles to England has taken another step forward with the release of six young birds in Exmoor National Park, the first to be reintroduced here after they disappeared due to persecution over two hundred years ago.
Two female White-tailed Eagles make their first explorations from release pens in Exmoor National Park
The releases are part of a project started in 2019 by The Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England to restore this lost species, and the key role it plays in supporting biodiversity, to England. Since then, 45 white-tailed eagles have been released from the Isle of Wight. Several are now breeding and in 2023 the project celebrated the first white tailed eagle chick to be born in the wild in southern England since 1780.
The team are now working with Exmoor National Park Authority to release further White-tailed Eagles in a bid to boost the population and expand their breeding range into south west England. Up to 20 additional young birds will be released from this location over the next three years. The project will also continue to carry out releases from its base on the Isle of Wight.
Exmoor was chosen as an additional location after tracking data from the released birds showed the area had been frequently visited by several of them and provides suitable habitat. It is known that the species formerly bred along the Exmoor coastline, which continues to provide ideal foraging, including an abundance of fish, and breeding habitat for the birds.
Earlier this year, the six young birds were collected under a NatureScot licence from the wild in Scotland and brought to Exmoor. Here they have been cared for by a team of experts whilst becoming familiar with their new surroundings.
Before being released the birds were fitted with satellite trackers so their progress can be closely monitored by the project team. It is expected that the young eagles will travel widely across the UK and potentially into Europe before returning to the area to breed when they are four or five years old.
Zoe Smith from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said: “White-tailed eagles would have once been common natural sight across the south west of England. After so many years absent from this landscape it is a special moment to be returning them on Exmoor. We will closely monitor their progress as they explore and, in time, begin to settle across this region. Thank you to everyone in the local community who is working with us to support the return of these magnificent birds“.
Angela Eagle, Environment Secretary for Defra said: “Majestic white‑tailed eagles – a particular favourite of mine – are once again soaring above Exmoor and the Isle of Wight, reflecting this government’s commitment to reversing the decline of nature and protecting it for generations to come.
“We are investing £90 million into species recovery, marking the largest ever government investment to directly support threatened wildlife“.
Stephen Egerton-Read, Project Officer for Forestry England said: “It is incredible to be returning this once lost species back to England. Seven years into the project we can see just how well the eagles are settling along the south coast of England and the really positive reaction the public have to seeing them back.
“These additional releases on Exmoor will help to boost the population and expand their geographic range into the south west ensuring many more people can see these amazing birds and are inspired by seeing nature return in this way“.
Ali Hawkins, Senior Ecologist with Exmoor National Park Authority, said: “This is such an exciting moment for Exmoor and a real boost to biodiversity in the National Park, as white-tailed eagles play a crucial role in both marine and land-based ecosystems. We‘d like to thank all representatives taking part in the steering group and we will continue to work closely with the local community as the project progresses“.
A comprehensive feasibility study and public surveys were conducted before reintroducing the birds and a steering group made up of local organisations and members of the community has met and is helping to guide the project.
The reintroduction of Britain’s largest bird of prey is being conducted under licence from Natural England, the Government’s wildlife licensing authority.
ENDS
Previous blogs about the release of White-tailed Eagles on Exmoor:
2 January 2025: Public views wanted on plans to release White-tailed Eagles in Cumbria, Wales, Severn Estuary and Exmoor (here).
6 January 2025: Predictable backlash from NFU to proposed releases of White-tailed Eagles (here)
14 May 2026: White-tailed Eagles to be released in Exmoor National Park this year (here)
14 May 2026: Statement from Natural England on decision to licence release of White-tailed Eagles in Exmoor National Park, with additional commentary from me (here)
This young White-tailed Eagle was found dead in Dorset in 2022. It’s liver contained 7 x lethal dose of rodenticide. Photo by Dorset Police
WPRUK’s findings about further White-tailed Eagle poisonings only came to light as a result of extensive Freedom of Information requests. Dr Ed Blane, the scientist behind WPRUK and an expert in the exposure of wildlife to Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs), stated that many of the case details were still being kept secret by the Government.
He said:
“The death of these majestic birds in Dorset, and the high amounts of poison found in their livers, should cause alarm bells to start ringing across the country. What we see now is the total failure of Government approved policy meant to protect the environment, information being withheld and our wildlife paying the price. At the same time chemical companies are making profits from selling these poisons. We have Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’ meeting Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’!
“What is of particular concern are the plans to introduce eagles to other areas of England and Wales without addressing this growing poisoning issue. How many of these birds will suffer a similar fate as the Dorset eagles?“.
Since last week’s press release from WPRUK, a journalist from the Dorset Echo, Richard McLaughlin, has followed up on the story and he’s forced Natural England to admit the scale of the problem. His article, published yesterday, was headlined,
‘Every white-tailed eagle death in Dorset linked to rat poison‘
The full article can be read here, and it’s reproduced below to safeguard from future broken links.
‘Every white‑tailed sea eagle found dead in Dorset since the start of England’s reintroduction programme has carried residues of a powerful rat poison, Natural England has confirmed.
The poisonings have raised fresh questions over rodenticide use in the countryside.
Since 2019, Natural England has investigated 10 suspected white-tailed eagle poisonings in England, including nine deaths and one non-fatal illness; six cases were in Dorset: five deaths and one illness.
Natural England told the Echo toxicology tests found brodifacoum in all five dead Dorset eagles “at levels considered close to significant”.
Brodifacoum is a powerful rat poison that stops blood clotting and causes severe internal bleeding, and even small amounts can kill rodents, pets, farm animals and wild birds and poison predators that eat contaminated prey.
Experts said rodenticide toxicity probably contributed by leaving the birds more vulnerable to injury, starvation or other factors, although levels were “not high enough to be identified as the primary cause of death”.
Natural England’s list records Dorset eagles found in January 2022 (cause “unspecified”), May 2024 (starvation), March 2025 (trauma) and March 2026 (electrocution), plus a non-fatal illness in February 2022.
A fifth eagle died by electrocution in November 2024; Natural England said brodifacoum was found in all five at levels “above those expected from normal background exposure”, requiring further investigation into its use.
The results “suggest brodifacoum may not have been used in accordance with legal requirements designed to protect wildlife and prevent exposure of non-target species,” Natural England said.
The birds were reintroduced to southern England from the Isle of Wight under a Natural England-licensed project.
Investigations into the Dorset cases continue, with detailed evidence reports withheld until they end.
The Health and Safety Executive will publish the final outcomes and leads pesticide enforcement and the Government’s rodenticide stewardship scheme.
Wildlife Poisoning Research UK, which obtained much of the detail through freedom of information requests, says the Dorset cases show the stewardship scheme is failing and wants tighter controls on SGARs.
Conservationists say the findings raise questions over poison controls in areas used by reintroduced species and other protected birds of prey.
In a 2022 case, Dorset Police said tests were inconclusive and could not confirm deliberate intent or identify an offender despite detecting high brodifacoum levels’.
ENDS
Natural England’s admission was also picked up by the BBC News website, here.
Both articles include statements from Natural England about the rodenticide Brodifacoum being found in all five dead WTEs in Dorset at levels “above those expected from normal background exposure”, requiring further investigation into its use.
Natural England also said the results had ‘warranted a further investigation into the source, which suggested Brodifacoum might not have been used in accordance with legal requirements designed to protect wildlife and prevent exposure of non-target species’.
Gosh, do you think so?
The BBC’s article includes the following quote from an unnamed Natural England spokesperson:
“Natural England is firmly committed to the protection and recovery of white-tailed sea eagles and remains confident that reintroduction projects in Dorset are contributing to this national conservation goal.
“The findings from Dorset and elsewhere highlight the importance of responsible pesticide use and continued vigilance to reduce risks to wildlife and safeguard the long-term recovery of white-tailed sea eagles.”
These amount to nothing more than empty platitudes.
The total failure of the Government’s Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme, designed toprevent the widespread poisoning of wildlife by rodenticides,has been well documented (e.g. see this 2024 report from Wild Justice, here).
Birds of prey are particularly affected, and there is widespread evidence that rodenticides are being misused, sometimes deliberately, at shocking levels.
The Government could take some relatively easy steps to put a stop to all this, especially with stronger regulation of Brodifacoum, but so far, nothing.
But watch this space…
UPDATE 18 August 2026: White-tailed Eagle poisonings feature in Private Eye (here)
Forty new satellite tags will soon track sea eagles in western Scotland to investigate how sea eagles and livestock interact
NatureScot has provided funding for the satellite tags for this collaborative research project, which brings together a broad team of experts to assess the extent of sea eagle predation of lambs and sheep. The transmitter tags are to improve understanding of the movement, behaviour of adult and juvenile sea eagles, as well as how they use and interact with the countryside.
The researchers will collate and analyse GPS (Global Positioning System) fix data received from the satellite tags to gather information on the ecology of Scotland’s sea eagle population.
Over the next two years, licenced ornithologists are fitting up to 35 satellite tags to sea eagle chicks when they are about eight weeks old. By then, the chicks are full-sized and getting ready to fledge from 10 weeks of age on. These tags –which can last for years—will give a unique insight into where the chicks travel after leaving their natal home range.
Target ranges for tagging will be within Argyll, Highlands, and the Western Isles.
The project also aims to deploy the remaining five tags on adult breeding sea eagles, which are more difficult to trap. Earlier this year, ornithologists using advice and techniques gained from European counterparts, trapped, tagged, and released an adult sea eagle on the Western Isles, boding well for success in this project. Farm managers who are comfortable hosting trapping work on their land may collaborate with this work.
The research project is a partnership between NatureScot, RSPB, Scotland’s Rural College SRUC, Natural Research Ltd, and a collective of independent ornithologists, which are sharing the costs of and resources for the project between them, with policy input from the NFU Scotland and the Scottish Crofting Federation. SRUC are also tracking lambs in Argyll using GPS neck collars as part of a separate research project. This research will complement and benefit the tagging project, giving a broad picture of how sea eagles and lambs interact.
Humans persecuted sea eagles—Scotland’s largest bird of prey—to extinction by the early 20th century. Since their reintroduction initially on the Isle of Rum between 1975 and 1985, the birds—now protected by law—have successfully repopulated the west of Scotland, expanding their range in all directions and increasing impacts on upland and hill sheep flocks.
The research group will report periodically to the National Sea Eagle Stakeholder Group and NatureScot will provide further updates on its website.
NatureScot Senior Ornithologist Andrew Stevenson said:
“This project will greatly add to our understanding of how sea eagles move around and their interaction with livestock. A key gap in our knowledge is what role immature eagles play in predating livestock, given they wander widely during their first three to four years until they settle on a territory. Tagging is the best way to get a handle on what they may be doing. While this collaborative partnership began because of the need for more information about livestock predation, the tag data will also help us understand how eagles use habitat, as well as other topics such as interaction with wind farms“.
Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management RSPB-Scotland (and Research Group Chair), added:
“Gathering evidence on the behaviour and movements of sea eagles is essential to create common understanding, and to inform future conservation and land management decisions. Latest technology in the form of GPS trackers fitted to Sea eagles can help deliver such outcomes sitting also alongside other initiatives being taken forward by the National Sea Eagle Stakeholder Group. The collaborative partnership approach to this project involving NatureScot, expert researchers, farming representatives and conservationists is very welcome, and we hope to present the results in due course“.
“NFU Scotland supports this satellite tagging project as a vital step towards building a clear, shared evidence base on sea eagle behaviour. For farmers and crofters in affected areas, understanding when and where interactions with livestock occur is critical. This research must lead to practical, targeted management solutions that give farmers confidence that impacts on livestock are being properly recognised and addressed“.
Scottish Crofting Federation Chief Executive Donna Smith said:
“Crofters are reporting increased sightings and issues with sea eagles each year so this research is a very welcome development. Building a greater understanding of how the sea eagles are interacting with livestock will hopefully lead to improved targeting of management measures in the future. We therefore look forward to supporting the research in whatever way we can and to seeing the findings in due course“.
CONFIRMATION OF FURTHER EAGLE POISONINGS IN DORSET
The white tailed sea eagle is one of England’s rarest and most impressive birds of prey, with a wing span often over 2 meters. A small group of these birds has been established by conservationists by re-introducing them onto the Isle of Wight from where they have spread out across England. However, this fragile population is under threat from a range of dangers, including poisoning from eating contaminated food such as poisoned rats. Nature lovers were outraged when one of the eagles was killed by poison in Dorset in 2022.
White-tailed Eagle (photo by Ronnie Gilbert)
An investigation by the wildlife group WPRUK has now shown that at least two further sea eagles were poisoned in Dorset in 2024, although many details of these incidents have been kept secret by the Government. The toxins involved are called Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticides (SGARs) – frequently used to kill rats by farmers, gamekeepers, pest controllers and householders. These were the same poisons that killed the eagle in 2022.
One eagle was originally recorded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as having died by electrocution in November 2024. However, from WPRUK’s attempts to establish the truth using Freedom of Information requests, it was confirmed by the Government agency, Natural England, that: ‘the high concentrations of second generation anti-coagulants reported in this eagle were of sufficient concern to justify further investigation.’ However, the HSE initially claimed that only background levels of these poisons were found in the liver.
Large residues of SGARs were found in the liver of a second sea eagle found dead in May 2024, which are believed to have been partly responsible for the bird’s death.
SGAR toxins start to have a lethal impact on sea eagles when levels reach above 0.1 mg/kg of the poison in the liver. WPRUK have established that the poison levels in the two 2024 eagles were far higher. The bird found in November had a toxin level of 0.194 mg/kg, while the one discovered in May had a staggering 0.43 mg/kg. Despite these incidents happening many months ago, Government agencies are still withholding the full details of the bird deaths. What are they so scared of? Two further eagles have now died in Dorset, one in March 2025 and one in March 2026. The full report for the bird that died in 2025 is also being withheld, although WPRUK has established that this too was exposed to SGAR poisons.
Is Government policy to blame for these eagle poisonings?
The dangers of these toxins have been known for many years and an environmental risk assessment in 2012 recommended that they should not be used outdoors due to the secondary poisoning risk – this is when the poisons move up the food chain. Poisons put out for mice and rats end up killing the top predators such as eagles. However, this risk assessment was ignored by the Government which permitted their continued use and even relaxed the regulations controlling where the higher toxicity poisons such as Brodifacoum could be used. This allowed the use of this poison outdoors for the first time, much to the alarm of wildlife experts.
The continued outdoor use of SGARs was on the condition that the chemical industry, by introducing better working practices by users, achieved a ‘significant reduction’ in the level of SGAR exposure in wildlife. This was part of the Government’s approved Rodenticide Stewardship Scheme.
WPRUK has been collecting data on SGAR exposure in buzzards in England and Wales to see if this ‘significant reduction’ has actually occurred.
So, what has happened?
The chemical industry’s attempts to reduce toxin exposure has been a complete failure. If two time periods, 2005 to 2013 and 2020 to 2024 are compared, it is found that:
The proportion of buzzards exposed to potentially lethal amounts of SGAR toxin (above 0.1 mg/kg in the liver) had increased from 15.1 % to 42.3 %.
The mean level of SGAR in the liver had increased 230 %.
It is clear that this increase in SGAR exposure in buzzards was due to a substantial rise in exposure of the birds to the highly toxic Brodifacoum, likely to be the result of the Government’s decision to permit the outdoor use of this highly toxic poison. Exposure to this high toxicity poison has increased by 1,026 %!
Commenting on the poison levels found in these eagles, Dr Ed Blane from WPRUK said:
“The death of these majestic birds in Dorset, and the high amounts of poison found in their livers, should cause alarm bells to start ringing across the country. What we see now is the total failure of Government approved policy meant to protect the environment, information being withheld and our wildlife paying the price. At the same time chemical companies are making profits from selling these poisons. We have Channel 4’s ‘Dirty Business’ meeting Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’!
“What is of particular concern are the plans to introduce eagles to other areas of England and Wales without addressing this growing poisoning issue. How many of these birds will suffer a similar fate as the Dorset eagles?“.
ENDS
UPDATE 18 August 2026: White-tailed Eagle poisonings feature in Private Eye (here)
ITV News ran a five minute feature yesterday on the continued illegal killing of birds of prey in North Yorkshire, and the RSPB’s calls for a gamebird shooting licensing scheme to tackle these crimes.
The film highlights the recent convictions earlier this year of gamekeeper Thomas Munday, who was caught battering to death a Buzzard that he’d trapped on a Pheasant shoot at Hovingham (here), and gamekeeper Racster Dingwall, who was caught conspiring to shoot a Hen Harrier on a grouse moor in the Yorkshire Dales National Park (here). Both cases relied on video footage captured on hidden cameras installed on the estates by the RSPB’s Investigations Team.
Two members of the RSPB’s Investigations Team are interviewed (Mark Thomas and Howard Jones) and discuss how satellite tags have helped detect the locations where Hen Harriers are being killed, and the level of ongoing threat to this and other species, including White-tailed Eagles.
A counter-argument against gamebird shoot licensing is provided by Dr Marnie Lovejoy from the British Association of Shooting & Conservation (BASC). She admits that grouse shoot licensing in Scotland has not prevented the illegal killing of raptors (she’s right about that) but then claims, counter-intuitively, that licensing wouldn’t be a deterrent because, “They could lose their licence even though they have done nothing wrong“.
I’m not aware of any grouse shooting estate in Scotland losing its licence yet, even though there have been multiple raptor persecution crimes detected since licensing was introduced in 2024, although several cases are still making their way through the slow judicial process.
Nor has anyone had their grouse shooting licence revoked ‘when they’ve done nothing wrong’. Given the level of evidence required just for a General Licence restriction in Scotland, let alone a grouse shooting licence, it is highly unlikely that an innocent estate would ever be penalised. And even if it did happen, estates have several rights of appeal, first through the regulator, NatureScot, and then through the Sheriff Courts.
It’s clear that BASC doesn’t want further regulation, perhaps because it’s obvious that many gamebird shoots will struggle to comply, but using an unevidenced argument against it just doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
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.
Low resolution map showing Squeagle’s satellite tracking data from Feb – May 2026. 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.
Squeagle photographed in Northumberland on 4 May 2026 with extensive feather damage (photo via RUN)
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
Squeagle being released in south Scotland February 2026 after translocation from the Western Isles (photo by John Wright)
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.
I received a bizarre press release on Monday, issued by the charity, Restoring Upland Nature (RUN – a project developed from the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project).
The press release was providing ‘news’ of a young satellite-tagged Golden Eagle named Percy, who had suffered fatal injuries after a dispute with a territorial pair of Golden Eagles in south Scotland in late March 2026.
Golden Eagle Percy. Photo by John Wright
His death was due to natural causes, so not exactly ‘news’, although it’s understandable that the project team would want to keep people informed.
However, the press release then morphed in to some kind of gamekeeper love-fest, simply because some gamekeepers had found the critically injured eagle and had alerted the project team to his location.
Here’s the press release:
Whilst the actions of those gamekeepers who found Percy are to be applauded, the subsequent general portrayal of gamekeepers in south Scotland as being champions of eagle conservation needs a reality check, especially when you consider the recent surge in eagle persecution in this region:
Golden Eagle ‘Merrick’ was shot and killed whilst she was sleeping in a tree next to a grouse moor in the Moorfoot Hills in October 2023 (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).
Golden Eagle ‘Hamlet’ was found with shotgun injuries next to a grouse moor in the Tweed Valley in February 2026 (here).
It is clear from the post-mortem and his satellite tag data that Percy died from injuries inflicted by a territorial eagle and not at the hands of a gamekeeper. Perhaps that’s the newsworthy element of this story.
But I’m very interested in other cases where injured/dead raptors have been ‘found’ by gamekeepers and reported to the authorities, especially in areas with a long history of raptor persecution. It seems to me that this could create a perfect opportunity for the ‘false hero’ scenario.
Undoubtedly, there are decent gamekeepers out there who want to help with conservation efforts for raptors and other species. But equally undoubtedly, there are gamekeepers out there who want to kill raptors, and have done, and continue to do so.
How do you tell them apart?
By the way, in response to the ‘news’ that Percy died of natural causes, I’ve seen a few comments on social media suggesting that we should all apologise for blaming gamekeepers for his ‘disappearance’. For the record, Percy didn’t ‘disappear’, and I haven’t seen anybody suggesting that he did, or that gamekeepers were responsible. They used the same argument about Hen Harrier ‘Frank’ earlier this year – trying to play the victim card but without any evidence of being victimised.
Further to the news earlier this week that a young satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle (known as G834) had ‘disappeared’ on 1st May in what the police describe as suspicious circumstances, on a grouse-shooting estate in the North York Moors National Park (see here), one of five satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagles to have vanished in recent months (here), it has now been revealed that his last known location was on the Snilesworth Estate.
This news didn’t come from the appeal for information issued by North Yorkshire Police last Monday – that vague appeal just gave the location as, ‘the western side of the North York Moors‘. Instead, the information has come from a lengthy feature article in this morning’s Guardian newspaper, written by Chief Reporter Daniel Boffey.
Photos by Ruth Tingay
Daniel Boffey visited the estate this week and was given short shrift by gamekeeper Charles Woof, who, when asked about the missing eagle, reportedly said:
“I don’t know anything about it” and “It’s private property, I am going to have to ask you to leave“.
The article refers to Woof’s 2008 conviction, where he admitted to using a baited trap to catch birds of prey. That’s interesting. I thought the shooting industry claimed to have a zero tolerance policy to raptor persecution and that anyone convicted would be kicked out of the profession? Apparently not.
Mark Thomas, Head of the RSPB’s Investigations Team is also quoted in the article, having been asked for his opinion about what might have happened to White-tailed Eagle G834:
“I think something has happened in the middle of the night whilst this eagle was at roost. Now, these things don’t fly around in the dark. They will wait till first light.
“If you’re asking me to look at the probability … it’s most likely the bird has been shot. And if the bird is shot whilst it’s roosting, then it’s being shot at night, potentially with thermal imaging gear“.
The article also reports that ‘Snilesworth estate management declined to comment‘. I don’t know who manages the estate these days but for many years it was managed by ‘grouse guru’ Mark Osborne’s company, starting in 2000, according to an earlier version of the company’s website:
One of Osborne’s other companies, William Powell Sporting, currently sells shooting days (Grouse, Pheasant & Red-legged Partridge) at Snilesworth:
Here is a review from one happy Snilesworth customer, featured on a William Powell Sporting publicity brochure:
Photo by Ruth Tingay
The Guardian article is careful to emphasise that there is nothing to suggest that gamekeeper Mr Woof or his team may have been involved in the eagle’s disappearance. Boffey writes:
‘The range of possible suspects is huge, including local farmers and others connected to nearby grouse lands, of which there are many‘.
The article also mentions that on the day the Guardian reporter visited, Mr Woof was ‘busy preparing for a charity clay pigeon shoot‘.
That’ll be this one, happening today, organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).
Hopefully the charity shoot guests won’t be causing any disturbance to the local wildlife as they shoot their way around the six clay pigeon stands across the estate and they can keep an eye out for the missing eagle…
On Monday the news broke that a young satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle had ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances on a grouse shooting estate in the North York Moors National Park (see here).
I was critical of the vague appeal for information issued by North Yorkshire Police and said I would write more about the details that hadn’t been included in that appeal.
However, since then, there has been a new development. I can’t explain any further at the moment but all will become apparent in due course. For this reason, I’ve decided not to add any of the missing details, at least not just yet. If the new development doesn’t progress as I expect it to, then I will come back to this news story.
Meanwhile, it’s worth talking about G834, the eagle at the centre of the police investigation, and placing his suspicious disappearance in to wider context.
White-tailed Eagle G834, prior to fledging, after being ringed and fitted with its satellite tag (photo by Tim Mackrill, Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation)
G834 hatched in Dorset in 2025, the first wild-fledged White-tailed Eagle in that county for over 240 years (see here).
His parents first paired up in 2023 after being released in 2020 as part of the Isle of Wight Reintroduction Project, led by the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England.
G834 was the product of their first successful breeding attempt, and brought the number of wild-fledged WTEs in England up to six since the project began (one chick in Sussex in 2023, two chicks in Sussex in 2024, and two chicks in Sussex and one chick in Dorset in 2025).
He was the star of the show at Poole Harbour at the beginning of this year, where 30 young members of the Young Birders’ Club, an initiative set up by the brilliant charity, Birds of Poole Harbour, were able to watch him feeding in the harbour. The significance of this sighting was summed up by Birds of Poole Harbour Project organiser, Sam Ryde:
“This was such an important and historical moment. To be able to show a group of young conservationists a wild born White-tailed Eagle right here in Dorset is beyond special. Not only that, to be able to explain to them how these projects work, why it’s important and actually show them the outcome is what it’s all about. These reintroduction projects change the baseline for what’s considered ‘normal’ in these landscapes. For many people here in Dorset and Poole Harbour White-tailed Eagles are a new-comer due to the fate they suffered all those years ago. However, kids will now grow up in Dorset with White-tailed Eagles having always been a part of their local heritage, which they’ll want to continue to protect and conserve”.
Three months later, G834 made the fatal mistake of visiting a grouse moor in the North York Moors National Park where, only a few hours after arriving, his satellite tag stopped transmitting whilst he was roosting nearby overnight and he hasn’t been seen since.
The circumstances remind me of the fate of the young Golden Eagle called Merrick, believed to have been shot, killed and removed overnight from a roost site in the Moorfoot Hills, south Scotland, in October 2023.
G834 is the fifth satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle to have ‘disappeared’ in suspicious circumstances in the last year. Here are the others:
In May 2025, a young satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle ‘disappeared’ on a grouse moor in Nairnshire, Scotland (see here).
On 13 September 2025, the satellite tag belonging to White-tailed Eagle G615 was found on remote moorland in mid-Wales. Dyfed Powys Police stated the tag had been removed with a sharp instrument before being hidden in an attempt to dispose of it. Searches in the area to try and locate the body of the bird have so far been unsuccessful (see here).
On 26 September 2025, a satellite tag belonging to young White-tailed Eagle G842 was recovered from the River Rother, near Petersfield, Sussex. It had been removed from the bird using a sharp instrument. Searches in the area to try and locate the body of the bird have so far been unsuccessful (see here).
On 8 November 2025, a four-year-old satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle (G819) ‘disappeared’ in the Moorfoot Hills, south Scotland (see here).
I mentioned earlier that in 2025, three young White-tailed Eagles fledged in the wild (two in Sussex and one in Dorset). Two of those three birds are now ‘missing’ – one (G842) had its tag cut off that was subsequently thrown into a river, and the other one’s tag (G834) has stopped transmitting in suspicious circumstances and the bird hasn’t been seen since.
Two out of three. That’s disgraceful.
And given how long these birds take to mature before they’re old enough to breed (anywhere between 3-7 yrs), and how low their productivity is when they do breed (1-3 chicks per year), it’s no wonder that the project team is planning to release more eagles this year, on both the Isle of Wight and on Exmoor. Given the natural attrition rate (e.g. disease, accidental collision etc), and then illegal persecution on top of that, this population is going to need the release of many more eagles before it becomes sustainable.
UPDATE 6 June 2026: Satellite-tagged White-tailed Eagle ‘disappeared’ on Snilesworth Estate, North York Moors National Park (here)
Raptor Persecution UK 