Missing White-tailed Eagle Sparks Wildlife Crime Probe on North York Moors

The juvenile white-tailed eagle G834, fitted with a satellite tag, entered Snilesworth estate on the western edge of the North York Moors on 30 April. The tag recorded a roost location and transmitted its last signal at 1.20 am the next morning. Six officers from North Yorkshire Police and National Wildlife Crime Unit searched the copse but found no trace. Police have classified the disappearance as “suspicious” and opened an investigation.

It is the UK's biggest bird of prey. So how can one fitted with a satellite tracker disappear in North Yorkshire? The confounding case of the missing white-tailed eagle

Since 2019 Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation and Forestry England have re-introduced white-tailed eagles to England, releasing 45 birds from Isle of Wight. In 2025 two fledglings bred in Dorset – the first in that county for 240 years – marked the first wild-born chick in England since the species’ extinction in 1780, when persecution eliminated the last breeding pair.

Bournemouth Daily Echo

RSPB recorded 921 raptor-persecution incidents between 2015 and 2024; 55 % occurred on or near game-bird shooting land. North Yorkshire accounted for 21.84 % of incidents, highest county share. Reported methods were 50 % shooting, 21 % poisoning, 13 % trapping and 16 % other, including nest destruction. Three other re-introduced eagles vanished in 2023, and two were found dead in 2022.

The Guardian

North Yorkshire Police called the disappearance “suspicious” and launched an investigation. Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation expressed shock and asked for information. RSPB investigations lead Mark Thomas said a night-time shooting is likely. Moorland Association chief executive Andrew Gilruth warned that a lost satellite signal does not prove foul play. British Association for Shooting and Conservation condemned illegal killing but stressed that facts must be established. National Gamekeepers Organisation said eagles have minimal impact on game birds and no evidence links gamekeepers to the case.

The Guardian

Wild Justice’s Dr Ruth Tingay condemned “wilful blindness” and urged more police powers and resources for wildlife crime. National Gamekeepers Organisation’s Camilla Swift argued that white-tailed eagles have little impact on game birds and that no evidence links gamekeepers to the incident. The British Association for Shooting and Conservation also called for caution, emphasizing that accusations must be evidence-based.

The Guardian

Police treat the lost satellite signal as suspicious, but Moorland Association chief Andrew Gilruth notes that a signal failure does not prove foul play. RSPB’s Mark Thomas says night-time shooting is probable, yet no carcass or forensic evidence has been recovered. Potential suspects include estate staff, local farmers and gamekeepers. Investigators continue to canvass moorland, review data and have asked anyone with information to contact them, underscoring the case’s importance for fledgling re-introduction programmes and wildlife-crime enforcement.

The Guardian

• “The eagle’s disappearance is being treated as suspicious,” their press release said, “and an investigation is underway”.” — North Yorkshire Police press release

The Guardian

• “If you’re asking me to look at the probability … it’s most likely the bird has been shot. And if the bird is shot whilst it’s roosting, then it’s being shot at night, potentially with thermal imaging gear.” — Mark Thomas, RSPB

The Guardian

• “Wilful blindness is no longer an option,” — Dr Ruth Tingay, Wild Justice

The Guardian

• “The loss of a satellite signal does not prove what has happened to a bird.” — Andrew Gilruth, Moorland Association

The Guardian