Gamekeeper hits out over death of golden eagle

A gamekeeper has said the poisoning of a golden eagle in Angus has “blackened” his profession’s reputation.

Last night police were still investigating the death of the bird of prey.

They carried out searches at the Millden Estate, near Brechin, as part of the inquiry.

The eagle was found dead on the estate on July 11.

A post-mortem examination confirmed it had been illegally poisoned.

Bert Burnett, area officer for the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association, said the incident was a major setback for people working hard to stamp out wildlife crime.

He said: “I am absolutely disgusted with what has happened. Every right-thinking person will be appalled by this.

“This just blackens the image of gamekeepers everywhere because, rightly or wrongly, in the public mind they are always the first suspects.

“Whoever is responsible, I just pray they are caught and punished severely.

“I have been working hard with the government, Scottish Natural Heritage and police to put a stop to this kind of wildlife crime and this is a major setback.”

Millden is the main estate at Glen Esk and boasts a 20,000-acre grouse moor, red deer stalking and salmon fishing.

Strutt and Parker, the factor for Millden Estate, was unavailable for comment yesterday.