The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
Police: Lead discovered in carcass of
Police are investigating the shooting of a rare bird of prey after its remains washed up on the banks of an Aberdeenshire river earlier this year.
The protected goshawk is thought to have been shot and dumped in the North Esk river near St Cyrus.
The death was discovered in March, but police yesterday said they would investigate after a post-mortem examination found the bird was shot at close range.
Its remains were sent to the Royal School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh
“Maybe it was caught in a trap then killed and dumped”
where an X-ray found a large amount of lead shot.
A post-mortem examination was then carried out by the Scottish Rural College.
Dr Ruth Tingay of environmental pressure group Raptor Persecution UK, said: “Given the large amount of lead shot in its body, it would have died immediately, so it is possible it was killed on the shoreline and left to rot.
“The amount of lead shot is a clear indication it was shot at close range. Maybe it was caught in a trap then killed and dumped.
“It is quite hard to get up close to an adult goshawk unless it is trapped.”
The discovery has come to light just days after the Scottish Government’s latest official statistics suggested raptor persecution was at a record low.
Figures this week from the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland showed there had been just nine reported illegal acts against birds of prey in 2017.
Buzzards, owls and a hen harrier were killed, while a golden eagle, osprey and merlin were all victims of disturbances. There were also two shootings and two illegal trappings.
Last year, two individuals, believed to have been carrying a shotgun and thermal imaging equipment, were spotted on Forestry Commission