Could a sea eagle mistake young child for prey, ask gamekeepers

The Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association (SGA) called for a public inquiry into the impact of the controversial reintroduction of the huge birds of prey in Scotland after a Perthshire clergyman reported last month that he had been attacked by one of the raptors while trying to protect his prize-winning goose.

The SGA said yesterday that the incident had fuelled fears of further aggressive behaviour by the birds and prompted the association to raise concerns about the safety of reintroducing the species.

Bert Burnett, an SGA committee member, has written to Stuart Stevenson, the environment minister, warning that the attack on Mr Farquharson “may well be the first of many” and asking for the formulation of an “exit strategy” if the sea eagles turn out to have an adverse effect on social, economic or leisure activities.

The Very Rev Hunter Farquharson said he was “traumatised” after the sea eagle left him with a head injury and a slashed shirt during the attack at his home in Abernethy.

He claimed that when he tried to tried to scare the eagle away when it went after his champion gander Bertie, the bird jumped on his back, tore his shirt and caused a 4in wound below his shoulder and cuts to his head.

In his letter, Mr Burnett writes: “These creatures are being released into what is a comparatively densely populated area so they will come into contact with humans on a daily basis. That will instil habituated behaviour and remove what should be a healthy fear of humans. There are reports of buzzards which have obviously undergone this desensitisation and this has resulted in them attacking people. This could pose a serious threat in the future.

“Will these very large creatures differentiate between a small child and more natural quarry?”

Sea eagles, as well as being scavengers, feast on live small mammals, such as rabbits, as well as fish and birds. There are reports of sea eagles eating lambs and piglets.

Mr Burnett warned there would be inevitable increases in the sea eagle population once they started to breed in the wild.

He added: “Is the government intending to compensate all those who lose stock or suffer other financial losses through the behaviour of these birds?

“At the moment some raptors have exclusion zones round their nest sites encompassing several acres in an effort to reduce disturbance. Presumably sea eagles will also require these zones, so how will that affect farming or recreational activities and will there be compensation for this?”

The suggestion that sea eagles might not differentiate between small children and their natural prey was dismissed as “alarmist nonsense” by RSPB Scotland, which has been helping lead the sea eagle reintroduction programme since it began more than 25 years ago.

Last month 16 sea eagles – dubbed “flying barn doors” because of their rectangular-shaped wings that can span to 8ft – were released from a secret location in Fife by the RSPB in the latest efforts to restore the UK’s largest bird of prey.

A spokesman for RSPB Scotland declared: “It is the worst kind of alarmist nonsense to suggest that sea eagles might soon be preying on children for food.

“This species has lived cheek-by-jowl with humans for centuries in large conurbations without incident in Norway and right across east Europe to the Caspian Sea.

“The reintroduction project has been undertaken with the full support of the Scottish Government and the statutory conservation agency Scottish Natual Heritage.”

The spokesman added: “A recent economic study showed that sea eagles are worth a minimum of £5 million to the local economy of Mull annually.

“Previously wiped out at the hands of man, they are a fantastic and welcome reintroduction to the biodiversity of Scotland, and indicate the wider health of our environment.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Stevenson said: “We do not think a public inquiry is necessary.”