A four-figure reward has been offered over the ”disgraceful” killing of a young golden eagle linked to the Angus glens.
RSPB Scotland say the young bird suffered a lingering death after its legs were broken in an illegal trap before being found dumped in Deeside days after satellite data showed it to be motionless for 15 hours on a hill in Glen Esk.
The bird was found in May, but details have only now emerged of the shocking discovery, and the probability based on satellite data that the eagle may have met its death in Angus before being taken under cover of darkness into rural Grampian.
The eagle was found, lying face down and with its wings folded, under a tree branch and close to a lay-by on a country road near Aboyne on May 5.
A post mortem carried out at the Scottish Agricultural College laboratory in Aberdeen concluded that the bird had suffered two broken legs due to trauma ”that could be consistent with an injury caused by a spring type trap”.
The SAC said the severity of the eagle’s injuries ”would prevent the bird from being able to take off.”
RSPB Scotland fitted a transmitter to the bird before it fledged from a nest in the Monadhliath mountains, south-east of Inverness, in July 2011.
The young bird spent its early months in its natal area before venturing further afield but by April 2012 it was frequenting an area of upper Deeside, before moving south-west into Glenshee.
Tracking data revealed the eagle moved eastwards into Angus on April 28 and the following day, at 6am, was located on a hillside overlooking Glen Esk. Over the next 15 hours, a succession of satellite tag readings, accurate to within less than 20 metres, showed that the bird did not move from the precise spot until at least 9pm that evening, after nightfall.
However, by 4am on April 30, it appeared to have travelled during darkness, some 15km north, to the location where its body was discovered five days later.
Satellite readings revealed that whilst the bird did not move from this position, it was probably alive until May 4.
Follow-up inquires by both Tayside and Grampian Police have found no further evidence as to how the eagle came by its injuries, or an explanation of the overnight move from Glen Esk to Deeside.
RSPB Scotland, which is offering a £1000 reward for information leading to a successful prosecution in the case, said eagle down-feathers were found between the lay-by and the bird’s final resting place.
Stuart Housden, RSPB Scotland director, said: ”Anyone who cares about our wildlife will be disgusted by what appears to be an appalling crime and the lengths taken to hide the facts from discovery.
”We call upon anyone who can provide further information about this case to contact the wildlife crime officer at either Tayside or Grampian Police without delay.”