Protected bird of prey found shot dead in woodland

A bird of prey has been shot dead in the Highlands.

Police are appealing for information after finding the female goshawk in the Loch Farr area, south of Inverness.

The bird was found in a tree in Forestry Land Scotland (FLS) woodland on Saturday, July 10. It was recovered with assistance from the FLS and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Following a post mortem, it was established that the bird had been shot.

Wildlife Crime officer Constable Daniel Sutherland said: “This was a cruel and callous act against a protected bird of prey which will simply not be tolerated.

“I am grateful to the member of public who came across the bird and reported it to us. Wildlife crime can be challenging to investigate and we work closely with a number of partners to investigate and bring those who seek to destroy or harm wildlife to justice.

“I am therefore appealing to anyone with information about this incident or who may have seen anything suspicious in this area to please contact police on 101, quoting reference NM/3907/21. Alternatively, if you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s Head of Investigations said: “It’s both depressing and worrying that in 21st century Scotland, rare and protected birds of prey are still being routinely killed.

!Goshawks are regularly targeted, even in publicly-owned forests, despite their role as predators of crows and pigeons, species that some people regard as pests.”