White-tailed Eagle found poisoned in the Cairngorms National Park

Less than 2 weeks before Hen Harrier Day 2020, it was widely reported in the national and local press and on social media that a White-tailed Eagle had been found poisoned in April 2020 in the Cairngorms National Park in northern Scotland.

Yet another outrageous and appalling incident in the ongoing carnage on the grouse moors of Scotland and northern England!

There was a totally inadequate response from the SNP-led Scottish Government (see here) unlike the Scottish Green Party who called for decisive action (see here).

Wild Justice, Raptor Persecution UK and other campaigning organisations and individuals urged people to write to the First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) and her Environment Cabinet Secretary (Roseanna Cunningham) at firstminister@gov.scot and CabSecECCLR@gov.scot respectively.

Chris Packham wrote the following letter on 29th July 2020 and published a video on Facebook on 5th August 2020 ....

If you feel as strongly about the illegal persecution and killing of birds of prey and other wildlife as I do, then please join me and the thousands of other people by e-mailing the First Minister (Nicola Sturgeon) at firstminister@gov.scot and her Environment Cabinet Secretary (Roseanna Cunningham) CabSecECCLR@gov.scot.

I sent my own e-mail to the First Minister and copied to the Environment Cabinet Secretary on 29th July 2020 as per below.

Dear First Minister Nicola Sturgeon

I am contacting you regarding the poisoned White-tailed Eagle that was recently discovered on a grouse moor in Aberdeenshire in the Cairngorms National Park:

https://www.birdguides.com/news/white-tailed-eagle-found-poisoned-on-grouse-moor/

I am sure that you must be receiving a lot of letters and e-mails on this issue and I know that it is unlikely that you will read many of them personally. However, surely someone will and collate the number of representations which convey the outrage that so many people feel?

Whilst I live right down here in the south of England, I have been interested in wildlife since I learnt how to say “bird”! In addition, I have visited the Scottish Highlands 1 to 3 times a year for many years for wildlife watching and photography, although unfortunately not this year to date for obvious reasons. Therefore, the illegal persecution and killing of birds of prey and other wildlife such as the Mountain Hare on grouse moors is a very important issue that I am extremely passionate about.

Yet again, we have news of the poisoning of a bird of prey. Poisoning has been illegal for a long time yet for some reason widespread law-breaking continues.

The White-tailed Eagle is a magnificent bird of prey which I have enjoyed seeing on so many occasions over the years on Mull and Skye. Following its extinction in Scotland in 1918, years of dedicated work has gone in to reintroducing it and it is a fully protected species. So why are a small number of people still allowed to kill it, and other birds of prey such as the Golden Eagle and Hen Harrier, and avoid investigation and criminal prosecution?

Grouse moors are a complete anachronism of times past. This highly intensive and destructive land management regime undertaken by a few wealthy landowners is designed to allow a few other wealthy people to shoot Red Grouse purely for fun. It is appalling in its own right, not to mention the illegal persecution and killing of other wildlife and so many adverse environmental impacts such as habitat destruction, flooding and the release of carbon emissions which contribute to the climate emergency. It needs to end. It must end. Surely you agree with that?

The Cairngorms National Park is a relatively new addition to the UK’s network of National Parks and I fail to understand why it, and indeed some of the others in the UK, appear to be hotspots of wildlife crime rather than protected sanctuaries for wildlife.

I appreciate that the SNP’s policy is to license driven grouse shooting which is at least an improvement on the pathetic response by the UK Government in respect of England. I also know that you are considering the weak Werrity report and its recommendations but when will you take decisive action?

Personally, like many other people across the UK, I would like to see a complete ban on driven grouse shooting across the whole of the UK. This disgusting “hobby” for a wealthy few needs to be made illegal and with it the outrageous killing of other protected wildlife and the damage to our fragile upland habitats.

I have to say that we have extremely weak political leadership down here in England (I think you may have noticed that!), amply demonstrated by the obsession with Brexit whilst ignoring its economic, social, environmental and security impacts and the slow, inconsistent and incompetent handling of the Covid-19 health pandemic. I have always admired you First Minister for your articulate, competent and principled leadership which is in such contrast to the UK Prime Minister. I would gladly vote for you and the progressive politics of your team if I had the opportunity to do that. However, I am also aware that it was the Scottish Green Party that successfully secured a recent amendment to legislation in the Scottish Parliament which will protect Mountain Hares on grouse moors.

So …. PLEASE, as First Minister of the governing party in Scotland, will you act and take a robust stance on protecting Scotland’s wildlife and environment so that I, and many other people, Scottish or otherwise, can continue to enjoy it?

Kind regards

Richard

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