Landowners join appeal for help tracing golden eagles that vanished from estate
The owners of an estate where two young golden eagles went missing have joined an appeal for information.
The birds, named Adam and Charlie, are said to have vanished within hours of each other from the Auchnafree Estate, near Dunkeld in Perthshire, on 18 April.
The eagles’ satellite tags stopped working and neither the birds nor the tags have been traced.
Auchnafree, a farming and sporting estate, said police conducted a search last month and were satisfied that its employees were not involved.
Estate spokeswoman Alix Whitaker said: “No-one knows what has happened to these birds and we would urge anyone with information to make contact with Police Scotland as soon as possible.
“We have also written to neighbouring estates to ask them to help.
“While the estate owns the land, we let out mixed shooting to tenants who take their wildlife conservation responsibilities very seriously.”
Tenant Auchnafree Sporting said: “We see eagles frequently on the estate and have no problem with them.
“We assisted police with their investigation and wholeheartedly support the appeal for information.”
The birds were being monitored by wildlife presenter and campaigner Chris Packham and Raptor Persecution UK as part of a study into the movements of young golden eagles in Scotland.
Charlie and Adam hatched at separate nests in the Loch Lomond & Trossachs National Park in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Adam was named by Green MSP Andy Wightman, who said he was “shocked and devastated” to hear that the young eagle had gone missing.
Springwatch co-presenter Packham said in a statement: “We can’t prove that harm has come to Adam and Charlie, nor who might have been responsible, but we can look at the circumstances, look at the science, look at the wider evidence and draw plausible conclusions.
“The Scottish Government has already acknowledged that illegal raptor persecution is an ongoing problem.
“How many more goldnon-independent en eagles do we have to lose before that same government takes effective action?”
Mr Wightman suggested there was “organised criminal activity” taking place on Scotland’s grouse moors and has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon calling for a stepup in prevention and detection of wildlife crime.
He said: “These disappearances are merely the latest in a long, long list of raptors to disappear in suspicious circumstances in Scotland.
“This latest outrage should be a wake-up call to the Scottish Government that for all their reviews, inquiries and reforms, rampant criminality remains in place across many of Scotland’s driven grouse moors.”
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association said it acts “robustly” where there is evidence that wildlife crime has taken place, with seven members expelled in as many years.
But a spokesman voiced concerns about missing satellite-tagged birds which are being monitored by agencies. A Scottish Government spokesman said: “The disappearance of any bird of prey in suspicious circumstances is of concern and we would urge anyone with information to contact Police Scotland.
“We are determined to protect birds of prey and have established an independent group to look at how we can ensure grouse moor management is sustainable and complies with the law.”
“These disappearances are merely the latest in a long, long list of raptors to disappear in suspicious circumstances”
ANDY WIGHTMAN