Scare tactics claim overeagles

KERRY councillor Michael Healy-Rae yesterday came under fire for “scaremongering” about plans to re-introduce white-tailed sea eagles to the south-west.

Chairman of the White-tailed Eagle Support Group Jerry O’Grady, from Killarney, said the councillor should stick to the facts and refrain from “over the top” statements about eagles.

Mr Healy-Rae had earlier claimed that the eagles could prey on lambs.

The Independent councillor also said Killarney Town Council was away with the birds for the providing €10,000 for the eagle project.

But Mr O’Grady said: “Cllr Healy-Rae has apparently chosen to ignore the facts that on the Isle of Mull, where the eagle was successfully re-introduced, in 2006, of the 20,000 lambs born on the island during the year, some 2,600 died in the first few months of which only 33 lambs (0.016%) showed any evidence of even coming into contact with an eagle.

“It is more than likely that at least half of these 33 died for other reasons and their carcasses were simply used by the eagle as a readily available food source.”

Mr O’Grady also said Mr Healy-Rae was in no position to lecture Killarney Town Council, or Killarney ratepayers, on how they should spend their budgets.

Mr O’Grady claimed the campaign against the eagle project was founded on “spurious and in some cases fabricated arguments”.