Eagle despatch dismays Highland gamekeepers
Highland gamekeepers expressed sadness after their weekend attempt to save an injured eagle in the snow ended in the bird being humanely put down.
On Saturday a gamekeeper, working on an Inverness-shire estate, spotted an eagle struggling in distress while he was out on the hill.
Waiting until it came to a stop, the gamekeeper called for assistance from his colleague and quietly went over to the bird to ascertain whether it could be helped.
The eagle had a visible wing injury but offered little resistance as the Head Gamekeeper carefully managed to lift it into a safe compartment on his all terrain vehicle, for transportation.
Once back at the estate, the Head Gamekeeper took the bird, which had been ringed, to the local vet and the estate contacted the local wildlife liaison officer.
The eagle was placed in the back of a truck, with straw bedding, for the journey.
Sadly, upon seeing the severity of the injury to the bird’s wing, the decision was taken by the vets to euthanise the bird as its ability to hunt for food was seriously compromised by its condition.
Injuries of that nature in the wild can be caused by issues such as collisions with objects or structures or when eagles fight over territory.
The Head Gamekeeper, who said he did what anyone would do in the circumstances, asked not to be named.
He said: “I came across the eagle which was hobbling slowly in the snow and was clearly in a distressed state. It came to rest in the snow and was immobile. I could see it was highly distressed. On close examination, it was clear that the bird had suffered a very serious blunt traumatic injury with its left wing.
“Along with one of my colleagues, we removed the bird to a local veterinary clinic who very kindly dealt with the matter as an emergency on late Saturday afternoon.
“We took photos and videos of the bird. It was clear it was incapable of flying. We were very sorry to learn that the vet was unable to save it”.
Scottish Gamekeepers Association Chairman Alex Hogg said: “The gamekeepers did exactly the right thing in the situation. It is just a shame the poor bird didn’t survive.”
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