Hands off eagles

Published on Wednesday 20 January 2010 19:57

That another white-tailed sea eagle has been found illegally poisoned on a shooting estate in Angus (your report, 20 January) is hugely disappointing especially coming a day after the announcement that ten chicks fledged last year.

This clearly demonstrates differences in attitudes towards birds of prey between the West and East of Scotland. In the West, and Mull in particular, these birds are at the centre of a burgeoning green tourism economy, helping to pump money and jobs into fragile rural economies, while in the East, where shooting interests predominate, these bird are poisoned. While we all accept the valuable role shooting has in supporting rural economies, estates must face the fact that, with grouse shooting in serious decline, they cannot continue to deprive others from the benefits of green tourism by denuding our rich environment of some of its most iconic birds.

LOGAN D STEELE

Bridgewater Avenue

Auchterarder, Perthshire