Reward offered for information on 'disgraceful' poisoning of two white-tailed eagles in Antrim
A White Tailed Eagle takes flight above the Tarbert Estuary in Kerry. File Picture: Valerie O'Sullivan
A reward of £5,000 (€5,853) has been offered for information following the poisoning of two white-tailed eagles in Co Antrim.
The birds were found in the Glenhead Road area of Ballymena on May 15.
A post-mortem examination revealed both birds tested positive for the insecticide bendiocarb.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland is investigating how they came in contact with the insecticide.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has offered a reward of £5,000 for information leading to the prosecution of those involved in the poisoning.
Rural and Wildlife Crime Superintendent Johnston McDowell said the illegal killing of the “majestic birds” is “disgraceful”.
“The test results suggest that an individual not only has access to the insecticide bendiocarb but has placed this in to the outside environment illegally, so that wild birds have been able to consume it,” he said.
“Bendiocarb is present in the trade product Ficam D, a powder which is only permitted for indoor use to control crawling insects such as wasps and ants, so using this active ingredient in fields would be a breach of Biocidal Products Regulation (BPR).
“The illegal killing of these beautiful birds in a popular rural area is disgraceful, and for any individual to think that they can ignore the law and lay poisonous bait which has led to the killing of these birds, is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”
He said officers, with support from the National Wildlife Crime Unit, have been on the ground conducting house-to-house enquiries in the areas where the birds were seen before they were found dead.
The two birds were re-introduced by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) white-tailed Eagle reintroduction programme in August 2022.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin, who was present for the birds initial release on the Shannon estuary said he was "deeply saddened" by news of their deaths.
"I have closely followed the reintroduction programme for a number of years and to be involved in the release of the seven young eagles in 2022 was an experience that I will never forget.
He said the birds were an "iconic species."
"There have been great successes in the programme over recent years, so to learn of a poisoning like this is very disappointing.”
One of the eagles found dead had been brought to Ireland as a chick in 2022 from Norway under phase two of the NPWS programme.
After being released, the young eagle spent a number of months on the Shannon Estuary before crossing into Northern Ireland from south Donegal on May 1. The bird was found dead just two weeks later, alongside an untagged young eagle. The origin of the second dead eagle is unknown, but NPWS staff believe it most likely fledged from a nest in Munster in 2021.
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