Abroad
Veteran Member
A group set up to highlight the killing of birds of prey has said the disappearance of a golden eagle is "highly suspicious".
It was one of a number of birds tagged by Raptor Persecution UK last summer.
The organisation said it lost signal from the eagle on 21 January on the outskirts of Edinburgh before it showed up offshore and then disappeared.
It said it believed the bird had been killed and its tag signal suppressed and then dumped in the North Sea.
The golden eagle - named Fred - hatched at a nest in the Scottish Borders to the only breeding pair in the region.
It headed to the Pentland Hills in January before the tag signal was lost near a grouse moor.
It began transmitting again about 10 miles offshore from St Andrews in Fife three days later before the final signal was received, also offshore, on 26 January.
Dr Ruth Tingay of RPUK, said it was "beyond doubt" that Fred's disappearance was "highly suspicious".
She said golden eagles did not generally fly out over large bodies of water but even if it had they should have had tracking data.
"While we will probably never know for sure, it seems likely that Fred was killed soon after 10:00 on 21 January, his tag was hidden to suppress the signal and then he and the tag were dumped in the North Sea," she said.
"If this is indeed the case, it's just the latest example of when those who have killed a protected bird of prey have tried to cover up evidence of their crime."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-43084753