HIGHLAND CRIME

The Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (Paws Scotland) have confirmed that recorded bird of prey crimes, including poisoning, shooting, disturbance and trapping, in Scotland fell by 26% in 2016. Last year there were 14 confirmed cases, down from 19 in the previous year, however raptor persecution remains a problem across Scotland and it is thought that many cases go unreported. The Scottish Government have confirmed that the National Wildlife Crime Unit in Stirling will receive a further year of funding. This comes shortly after a high-profile police investigation into a mass poisoning of 12 red kites and four buzzards on the Black Isle in 2014 was dropped with no convictions. The last year has also seen a spate of tagged golden eagle disappearances in Aberdeenshire and the Monadhliath Mountains, although it appears that transponder malfunction is a likely explanation.