An investigation is underway following the discovery that one of Ireland’s oldest breeding white-tailed eagles, Caimin (Y) has died from poisoning.
Caimin had been living at the Mountshannon nest site on Lough Derg for the past 17 years.
The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) says initial post-mortem results from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory indicate a possible death from poisoning.
Caimin was one of the first chicks to arrive as part of an NPWS Reintroduction Programme and was released from Killarney National Park in 2008.
“ All of the white-tailed eagle chicks reintroduced under the programme are fitted with satellite tags, which enables them to be monitored and tracked,” the NPWS says.
“In 2013, Camin mated with Saoirse, a female eagle who was also part of the Reintroduction Programme,” it says.
“They became the first white-tailed eagles to successfully raise and fledge chicks in the wild in Ireland in over one hundred years. Caimin raised and fledged chicks into the wild until 2016, when Saoirse died of avian flu”.
“He held the territory and mated again with Bernardine (B) in 2023 to successfully fledge more chicks to the wild from the same nest site in Mountshannon. Despite the loss of her mate, Bernardine is continuing to raise a chick on the nest site in Mountshannon,” it says.
Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan that “this tragic loss of a wonderfully aged bird, breeding happily in the Irish wild, is deeply regrettable”.
“The Reintroduction Programme had been making significant progress in restoring this lost flagship species to Irish skies. These birds are part of Ireland’s natural heritage and are important for our biodiversity, as they are a good indicator species regarding the health of our ecosystems,” he said.
“We will continue with our efforts to introduce, nurture and protect these birds, and I have tasked the NPWS with leaving no stone unturned to try to get to the bottom of this heinous potential crime,”he said.
Eamonn Meskell, NPWS Divisional Manager, said that “the knowing destruction of this wonderful bird of prey displays a wanton disregard for our re-introduction and nature protection efforts”.
“These noble birds are beloved of the public, and each loss is keenly felt by them and indeed by the staff of NPWS who have nurtured these birds from chicks to fledglings, onto adult life and into successfully breeding pairs. We know we can rely on the public’s help in this investigation,” he said.
The main threat to the species in Ireland is persecution, predominantly through shooting and the illegal use of poison and wind turbine strikes, the NPWS says.
The misuse/illegal use of poisons accounts for nearly 50% of eagle deaths where the cause of mortality was able to be determined. Other causes of death include wind turbine strikes, lead shot poisoning and shooting. Avian flu and adverse weather also negatively impacted the breeding population, it says.
It has asked anyone with information to notify a local Garda station or local NPWS office.
