Re-Introduction of Species Killed By Humans Must Stop

 

 We re-introduce and the hunting fraternity and their hangers on kill.  Humans in cars kill other species by the thousands. These birds are deliberately killed by those supporting the bird shooting sport.  The UK is not fit for any re-introduction.

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Police investigate after white-tailed eagles go missing across UK

Conservationists appeal to public for help after rare birds disappear in suspicious circumstances

 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/17/police-investigate-after-white-tailed-eagles-go-missing-across-uk

Helena Horton and Patrick Barkham

Wed 17 Dec 2025 11.12 GMT

 

One of the first white-tailed eagles to fledge in England for hundreds of years has vanished in suspicious circumstances, alongside two more “devastating” disappearances of the reintroduced raptor.

Police are appealing for public help as they investigate the disappearances, which are a setback to the bird’s successful reintroduction. Their disappearance is being investigated by several police forces and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

The RSPB is offering a £10,000 reward for information leading to a conviction. Dr James Robinson, RSPB chief operating officer, said: “The RSPB is shocked with this news, so much so that we are offering an overall reward of £10,000 for information that leads to a conviction in these cases. Eagle tag-data is so precise that the point of death and any subsequent movement of the tag will be known to investigators, so we urge the public to come forward with information. Raptor persecution has no place in modern society, let alone threatening such an important UK government-backed reintroduction scheme like this.”

The eagles have gone missing in Sussex, Wales and Scotland. The chick, which hatched in the wild earlier this year in Sussex, was one of the first white-tailed eagles to fledge in England for hundreds of years.

It is thought someone could have harmed or killed the birds, as the satellite trackers that allow the reintroduction team to track their location and movements had been cut off. Two of the eagles had their trackers cut off with a sharp instrument with the equipment found dumped near their last recorded location. In the third case, the tag stopped sending information on 8 November and no sighting of the bird has been recorded since.

White-tailed eagles are Britain’s biggest bird of prey. They were driven to extinction in Britain in the early 20th century, after being shot and poisoned to protect shooting interests.

Conservationist Roy Dennis and his foundation have been working with Forestry England to return the birds to England, and since 2019, 45 white-tailed eagles have been released. Several breeding pairs have formed, with six chicks hatching in the wild for the first time since the 1780s. Because the project is new, with few birds fledged, targeting them in this way puts the eagles’ reintroduction at risk.

The conservationists leading the project are devastated by the news. Tim Mackrill, from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, said: “We monitor the satellite data, showing the bird’s minute-by-minute movements, on a daily basis and always investigate any suspicious or unusual data. It was devastating to find the stolen and dumped tags, particularly for the chick in Sussex, who fledged this summer and had only just begun its life.

“So many people in the area had shared the joy of seeing these birds breed again after hundreds of years and our ongoing monitoring has shown how well they were fitting into the landscape. To have that destroyed just a few months later is deeply shocking.”

The birds are sometimes killed illegally by those with game interests, because they are thought to predate on birds bred for shooting such as pheasants and partridges, say campaigners. Disturbing the birds or their nests is a criminal offence.

Three police forces are working to solve the mystery of the missing birds. On 26 September, a satellite tag belonging to a fledged eagle chick was recovered from the River Rother, near Petersfield in Hampshire. It had been removed from the bird using a sharp instrument. Sussex police are looking for information from anyone who was in or around Harting Down and Petersfield on the evening of 20 September.

On 13 September, a satellite tag belonging to a white-tailed eagle was recovered near Gwgia Reservoir, Tregynon, and Dyfed Powys police in Wales are asking anyone who was at or around the reservoir between 11am and 1pm or on access land near Bryn y Fawnog between noon and 3pm on 13 September to come forward.

Another eagle’s tag stopped transmitting in the Moorfoot Hills area south of Edinburgh. The last transmission was sent on 8 November and Police Scotland are investigating.

Steve Egerton-Read, the white-tailed eagle project officer for Forestry England, said: “We are returning this lost species to the English landscape and have had so much support from the public. These special birds are helping people connect with natural world and showing how with a little bit of help nature can thrive. We are asking the public to show this support again by encouraging anyone who has information that may help the police investigation to come forward.”

Ruth Tingay, of Raptor Persecution, said: “These reports are so depressingly familiar these days, we’ve pretty much come to expect them. Although there’s something particularly sickening about killing a white-tailed eagle, it’s no less a crime, in the eyes of the law, than killing a more common species like a buzzard or a sparrowhawk.

“There’s no doubt whatsoever that at least two of these eagles were the victims of illegal persecution, given the clear evidence that their satellite tags had been cut off and crude attempts were made to hide them.”

The Final Figures SHOULD Shock You

 

 Just so that everyone understands the ultimate death toll when given (1st January, 2026).

Very few people report dead animals -even pets seen dead are not reported. The response is still, after a decade of trying to explain: "It's a dead animal who cares?" and "Someone else will report it -my time is far too important to waste". More often the line "Well I see them dead on the road all the time when driving around Bristol"

Which means that the foxes and badgers that are reported -and it is still a case of hearing about most by accident- is not a true number.

Statistically: "It is impossible to provide a single, precise number for the actual estimate, as road death incidents are significantly underreported. However, a figure of 360 reported incidents suggests the actual number could range from approximately 1,000 to over 5,000, or potentially much higher, depending on the species and location. "

Bear that in mind.

Some Words That Carry No Significance (I assume)

 Well, I must admit that I sadly expected some negative comments when it came to my writing about saving Bristol's green spaces as well as building in areas where we know badger setts and established fox dens are.

I did not expect so much of that kick back in 2025 to come from people on those groups.

I've studied wildlife in Bristol since a child and concentrated on it more in the last 50 years and when I write or say something to add to a group's argument against developing an area I do not expect a thank you just for the info to be used.

Bristol City Council hates me (I'm a "conservation and environmentalist") but it seems I get hated by people I am trying to help.

So, as of today: no more. Good luck with your campaigns.

My Stance on "Re-Introduction"

  It is a FACT that English, Welsh and Scottish wild cats were hunted to extinction. At a meeting of Scottish zoologists in 1898 one of the speakers was a man who had studied Scottish wild cats for 40 years. He declared that the wild cat had become extinct decades before and the 1860s was decided and agreed upon.

What you see in museums are not wild cats but hybrids of European wild cats. What are being financed and released are nothing more than hybrid European wild cats.

These cats are raised wild before release, but face the same threats such as cars or shooting and trapping on estates. They cannot be guarded 24/7 and you can bet the odd shooter who considers his/herself a 'sports' person is going to be out looking for one. The shooting community long ago share locations of where the releases would take place.

They want to introduce lynx and wolves back to Scotland and while lynx have survived in Scotland and even England in recent times (officially 1920s-1930s) they were all shot. Back in the 1990s an escaped arctic fox was shot by a farmer because "it looked unusual". Same decade in Shropshire a moron farmer shot an escaped ring tailed lemur because "it was an unusual animal"

There are far too many people in the UK who love to go out with rifles (often in groups) to shoot whatever they can find for 'fun' and they could not care less that the fox population has dropped by 60% -the old hunts had the same view: "We MUST have our sport".

The law states that a fox can be "dealt with" if a threat to livestock. Foxes in urban areas hunting rats and similar are no threat but who cares? We do know that in some areas off duty police officers take part in the 'sport' when they should be stopping it as unnecessary killing of wildlife (not to mention pets and the occasional live stock).

As I have gotten older so my stance has changed. The UK is not an animal loving set of countries and government legislation as well as local authorities do all they can to allow developers to destroy habitat while not caring about the mass of wildlife shot or killed by cars.

I would NEVER support the introduction of any species to replace one humans have made extinct. History has shown those species would only be targeted again.

Extinction is forever

Otter Pup Rescued

 

Full story here  https://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2025-12-03/lone-otter-cub-rescued-from-beside-the-bristol-canal?fbclid=IwY2xjawOdQ45leHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeD-b_U9mfgmJJuoouIPDOTs-jzLz444AiVBFfClZxzEecljvz1J4k8VX6IU8_aem_2DJIeFWs23n-5iQ3geFdxw

I was asked but suggested Otter Trust as Bristol Otter Group I do not think exist any more -certainly ignored a request to put in some comments re building on the outskirts of Bristol where we know otters are.

A vulnerable otter cub found alone by a Bristol canal has been saved by an animal charity.

A local barge owner had heard her repeated crying and found the female cub by the water’s edge with no sign of its mother. 

The UK Wild Otter Trust say she was cold, underweight and distressed when they arrived at the Bristol Feeder Canal. 

She has been named Avon and is thought to be 6-7 weeks old. 

Eurasian otter cubs typically remain with their mothers for a year. 

Dave Webb, founder of the trust, said her chances of survival alone would have been very slim: “Avon was extremely vulnerable when she reached us. 

“At her age, otter cubs depend entirely on their mothers for warmth and feeding, so being alone on the canal bank was life-threatening. 

“Thankfully, she’s already feeding well and showing signs of strength.

“It’s always heartbreaking when a cub becomes separated this young, but the progress Avon is making is wonderful to see. 

“She’ll stay with us until she’s grown and fully ready for release back into the wild.”