Rare eagle found poisoned in Scottish Borders on the 'glorious twelfth'
A rare golden eagle has been found poisoned near a grouse moor in the Scottish Borders, ironically enough it happened on the 'glorious twelfth', a date which marks the start of the grouse shooting season. The female bird, who was around nine to ten years old, was rearing a chick and despite the fact it has fledged from the nest it is still dependant on both parents for food, so this action has now put it's life in danger too. The banned agricultural pesticide carbofuran is believed to be the poison used in this instance, a substance which has been used many times before to illegally kill birds of prey in other parts of the country. There are only 420 pairs of golden eagles in Scotland, and in the Borders there are just two other breeding pairs, so this is a huge blow to the species.
Bob Elliot, RSPB Scotland's head of investigations, said: "Sadly, illegal persecution of birds of prey continues to be a shameful fact of life in parts of Scotland in the 21st century, and unfortunately the evidence shows there is a correlation between the location of grouse moors and the incidence of raptor poisoning.
The RSPB Scotland is now offering a £1000 reward for any information which may lead to the capture of the perpetrator.
If you want to show your support and help stamp out this illegal and sickening persecution on birds of prey, you can add your name to the RSPB petition which is currently on their website.
