A uncommon fowl of prey has develop into the fourth of its sort to “suspiciously disappear” from the Angus Glens.
The young Hen Harrier, Shalimar, was fitted with a satellite-tag that was stated to be working as anticipated earlier than knowledge transmissions “unexpectedly and suddenly” stopped on February 15 in Glen Esk in Angus.
The disappearance of the fowl, which fledged from a nest on the National Trust for Scotland’s Mar Lodge Estate in Aberdeenshire final summer time, marks the fourth vanishing incident since 2017.
There have been a number of earlier incidents the place satellite-tagged birds of prey have been killed or “suspiciously disappeared” which incorporates 4 Hen Harriers, a Golden Eagle and a White-tailed Eagle.
Officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit and Police Scotland, supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Investigations workers, carried out a search of the world the place the fowl final transmitted, however failed to seek out its physique or tag.
According to the RSPB, Hen Harriers are one of many UK’s “rarest” birds of prey and the “most heavily persecuted” species within the nation.
The charity stated that research have discovered proof from historic and on-going felony investigations to recommend that the killing of “red listed” species is “significantly” linked to land managed for Red Grouse capturing.
A big space of the Angus Glens is intensively managed for pushed grouse capturing and is a infamous raptor persecution hotspot, with a number of confirmed incidents of poisoning, capturing and unlawful trapping stretching again during the last 20 years.
Staff at Mar Lodge stated they have been “saddened” by the obvious lack of Shalimar and the opposite tagged-harriers which have fledged from the property.
The property has tagged 23 Hen Harriers since 2016 and stated that almost 40% of the tagged birds have “suspiciously disappeared”.
“Despite these losses we will continue our vital conservation work at Mar Lodge and other NTS properties doing what we can to ensure the survival and recovery of hen harriers and other raptor species,” they stated.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations stated: “The Scottish Parliament has recognised the continuing hyperlink between crimes towards birds of prey and the administration of some grouse moors by its of passing of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Bill earlier this week.
“In future, any landholding linked to wildlife crime faces a loss of its licence to shoot grouse. While these provisions have come just too late to prevent Shalimar becoming the latest Hen Harrier to likely disappear at the hands of criminals, we hope that the new legislation will help to consign raptor persecution to the history books in Scotland”.
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