POLICE have revealed two reintroduced white-tailed eagles from the Isle of Wight have been found dead in the South of England.
An investigation is now underway to determine the causes of the deaths.
One of the carcasses was found in Dorset at the tail-end of last month.
Warning: This story contains an image you may find distressing.
Both birds are undergoing post-mortem and toxicological examination, Dorset Police have confirmed.
"The birds are extremely rare, and we ask the public to be vigilant and to report any information they may have relating to the death of these birds," said a spokesperson for Dorset Police.
Back in January, one of the Island's eagles had been spotted in Cornwall, leading to excitement in the county that the species might eventually breed there.
The “flying barn door”, with its huge wingspan, was photographed on Bodmin Moor.
Last year, the Government agency Natural England gave the go-ahead for another scheme to release up to 60 white-tailed eagles, which mostly feed on fish, over ten years in Norfolk.
The last pair to breed in southern England nested on Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780.
They were reintroduced in 2019, and two further releases have since taken place.
Read more:
- Isle of Wight welcomes third wave of sea eagles
- Isle of Wight eagles take to the skies — County Press meets the birds and gets exclusive photos
If you have information relating to the deaths of the two eagles, you should contact Dorset Police by emailing 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk, quoting 55220015571, and leave your contact details.
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