Wildlife campaigners are suing Scotland’s nature conservation agency for allowing farmers to kill wild beavers, arguing that it is in breach of its duties to protect vulnerable species. Trees for Life, a charity that campaigns for rewilding, has accused NatureScot of failing to protect beavers and insists the animals should be humanely trapped and relocated […]
Tag: birds of prey
Fears eagles will kill piglets, lambs and cats amid UK reintroduction plan
A PLAN to reintroduce white-tailed eagles into the East of England has triggered concerns the birds of prey may swoop on piglets, lambs and even pets. Natural England has granted permission for this species of large sea eagles to be released in Norfolk, with the hope that a breeding population can be established by 2026 […]
Golden eagle deliberately poisoned near Balmoral estate, say police
The bird of prey was found dead on a hillside on the Invercauld Estate, in the heart of the Cairngorms, near Crathie and the Balmoral estate on March 19 after being illegally targeted with a toxic substance. Police Scotland said officers searched a number of properties on the estate on Tuesday as they continue carrying […]
Researchers take up the cause of the mysterious and maligned Chaco eagle
Fénix, a female Chaco eagle, lived at San Rafael Zoo in Mendoza province, Argentina, until the zoo shut down in 2016. She was later transferred to the Buenos Aires Ecopark, an old zoo that had been converted into a research center, hospital and shelter for animals without a destination. There, she began a difficult training […]
Spain’s Endesa power firm sued over electrocution of birds
In Leonard Cohen’s famous song, a bird on a wire is a symbol of freedom, but for thousands of birds it is the equivalent of being sent to the electric chair. Now, in a landmark case, a Spanish electricity company is being prosecuted over the deaths of hundreds of birds electrocuted on pylons and overhead […]
Victorian woman charged with animal cruelty after almost 130 wedge-tailed eagles found dead
A Victorian woman is facing almost 300 animal cruelty charges after wildlife officers allegedly found the carcasses of 140 protected native birds, including 128 wedge-tailed eagles, at her property. The office of the conservation regulator said police, wildlife officers, and officials from the agriculture department searched the woman’s property in Violet Town in August after […]
Appeal over hen harrier death and disappearances
RSPB Scotland has said it is “devastated” by the death of a hen harrier found shot and the disappearance of two more birds. The dead bird was discovered by a member of the public near Wanlockhead, in the south of Scotland, in June. Two other hen harriers last recorded in northern Scotland have also disappeared […]
Australian raptors start fires to flush out prey
Australian Aboriginal lore is replete with references to birds carrying fire, and some traditional ceremonies even depict the behaviour. Now ornithologists have collected accounts from witnesses across the savannas of Australia’s far north, known as the Top End, suggesting three Australian birds of prey species use smouldering branches to spread fires and scare prey into […]