'Knowing destruction': Investigations begin following suspected poisoning of eagle in Clare

An investigation is underway following the discovery of a deceased breeding white-tailed eagle in Clare last Saturday, May 24.

Aptly named Caimin, he was one of the oldest birds of his kind in Ireland, with initial post mortem results from the Regional Veterinary Laboratory indicating a possible death from poisoning.

The gorgeous creature held territory at the Mountshannon nest site on Lough Derg for the past seventeen years. During that time, he mated and fledged a number of chicks. He was one of the first chicks to arrive as part of an NPWS Reintroduction Programme to bring back this formerly extinct species to Irish skies. Caimin 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.

In 2013, Camin mated with Saoirshe, a female eagle who was also part of the Reintroduction Programme. 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 Saoirshe died of Avian Influenza.

He held the territory and mated again with Bernardine 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 now continuing to raise a chick on the same nest site. 

Minister of State for Nature, Heritage and Biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan TD spoke on the said news, saying, “Any loss in the wild not due to natural causes, is usually the result of human activity and this tragic loss of a wonderfully aged bird, breeding happily in the Irish wild, is deeply regrettable.

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“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.

“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 added. 

Eamonn Meskell, Divisional Manager, NPWS said, “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 concluded.

The main threat to the species in Ireland is persecution, predominantly through shooting and the illegal use of poison and wind turbine strikes.

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 Influenza and adverse weather also negatively impacted the breeding population.

If you have any information, please notify your local Garda station or your local National Parks and Wildlife Service office.