Investigation into killing of kite released last month

GARDAÍ in Wicklow are investigating the shooting dead of a red kite — one of just 30 in the country who were released last month as part of a reintroduction programme of the species.

The killing has been described as an “early setback” and a “major disappointment” for the project to re-establish a breeding population of the bird, which is a native of Ireland but was driven to extinction here 200 years ago.

There are just a couple of hundred red kites in the world. The bird is given the highest level of protection under EU and Irish law, and to shoot it, by mistake or intentionally, is illegal.