‘Shock’ as rare white-tailed eagle born in UK disappears in suspicious circumstances
Conservationists said they were “deeply shocked and saddened” by the suspicious disappearance of the first white-tailed eagle to be born in the wild in Dorset for centuries.
North Yorkshire Police are investigating the disappearance of the baby bird after its satellite tag stopped transmitting on the North York Moors.
Following analysis by the National Wildlife Crime Squad, the disappearance of the eagle, which escaped in 2025 and roamed widely in the UK this spring, is being treated as suspicious and an investigation is ongoing, police said.
The bird reached the west bank of the North York Moors on 30 April and did not communicate with the tag overnight until 1 May, with no further transmissions since.
The white-tailed eagle, known as G834, has become the first eagle to be born in the wild in Dorset in 240 years as part of a project to bring birds of prey back to the UK.
Eagles, called flying barn doors because their wingspans can reach up to 2.4 metres, were common in southern England until the 18th century and became extinct in the region due to persecution.
The project by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Trust began reintroducing white-tailed eagles to the Isle of Wight in 2019 and has since released 45 eagles.
The birds have previously been reintroduced to Scotland.
The first pair of Isle of Wight eagles mated successfully in 2023, giving birth to the first chick born in the wild in England in more than 240 years.
A further five cubs have since been born in the wild and last month the Government announced the project would be supported by the release of up to 20 young white-tailed eagles into Exmoor National Park over three years.
In the statement made on behalf of the reintroduction project by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Trust, the following statements were made: “We are deeply shocked and saddened by the suspicious disappearance of this young white-tailed eagle.
“It was the first species to be grown in the wild in Dorset in 240 years and was really starting to establish itself in the landscape.
“The return of this lost species to the UK has received huge support from the public and we know many will be devastated to hear this news.”
Satellite data showing minute-by-minute movements of birds is monitored daily, and suspicious or unusual data is always investigated, environmentalists said.
The statement said: “These special birds help people connect with the natural world and show how nature can thrive with a little help.
“We thank everyone for their continued support and encourage anyone with information that could help the police investigation progress.”
Despite concerns in some quarters that the birds might prey on livestock such as lamb, a 2024 study of the food eaten by Isle of Wight birds reported that the birds targeted prey such as cuttlefish, rabbits, fish and other birds, with “no conflict” with farming occurring.
But the birds, whose return has faced opposition from some in the gamefowl hunting community, have been subjected to persecution as police investigated the disappearance of three birds under suspicious circumstances in Sussex and Wales last year.
And in 2022, two white-tailed eagles released from a reintroduction scheme were found dead, prompting police investigations in Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
