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Police have closed their investigation into a missing eagle after failing to find evidence of a crime. The bird, referred to as “Fred”, went missing just outside Edinburgh in February and was the subject of an intense media campaign that attempted to implicate keepers (News, 7 march).

“Campaigners refused to provide crucial data from the bird’s tag”

The young male golden eagle was fitted with a satellite tag funded by cosmetics retailer lush. The alarm was raised in February after the tag failed to fix and transmit its position for three and a half days before beginning to transmit again several miles out to sea. It subsequently disappeared without trace.

Despite suggestions that Fred had simply blown out to sea during a period of extreme weather, Chris Packham, raptor activist Ruth Tingay and RSPB Scotland head of investigations Ian Thomson repeatedly tried to connect the disappearance of the bird with grouse moor management.

In a series of videos and blogs, they alleged that evidence showed that the bird had been illegally killed. The story was the subject of significant national media interest and led to questions being asked in the Scottish parliament.

However, campaigners failed to provide answers to essential questions, including the bird’s precise location at key moments and the time certain journeys had taken. They also refused to provide crucial technical data from the bird’s tag.

Responding to a request for information, Scottish Natural Heritage told Shooting Times: “We have sought information from the police on the current status of the investigation into the disappearance of Fred, and have been advised that in the absence of corroborating evidence the police have not recorded the disappearance as a crime… but as ‘unexplained’.”

The Scottish Gamekeepers association said: “The surrounding pantomime and trial by media in this case was the most concerning we have ever witnessed, underlining why we feel satellite tags must be independently monitored. What we saw was a multi-layered political and media campaign being carried out as an ongoing commentary to a live police investigation, using a staged video we believe misled the public. No SGA member was involved in the disappearance of this bird.”

Matt Cross