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Golden eagle vanishes near Edinburgh
Fred is one of 41 tagged golden eagles to disappear in suspicious circumstances (stock photo).
Chris Packham reiterates calls to tackle persecution

A young golden eagle has vanished in suspicious circumstances in Scotland, Chris Packham has revealed.

The missing bird, named Fred, was the only chick to hatch in the Scottish Borders last year. After leaving the nest, he moved north to the Pentland Hills.

Naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham says Fred’s satellite tag transmitted from woodland just outside Edinburgh (which borders a grouse moor) on 21 January 2018, then stopped. Three and a half days later, the signal reappeared 15 miles out at sea and floated for a few days, before disappearing completely.

Fred is one of 41 tagged golden eagles to disappear in suspicious circumstances, mainly on or near grouse moors, Mr Packham said on Twitter.

Ian Thompson, RSPB’s head of investigations in Scotland, commented: “We have a pattern of a tag working perfectly well, as we’ve seen all too often with many golden eagles in Scotland, then suddenly stopping.

“But then we have this bizarre reawakening of the tag 15 miles out to the North Sea. A golden eagle is not going to fly out there. Why would it? Eagles do not like flying over big expanses of open water, especially when they can’t see the other side. So it’s not going to get there of its own accord. Something was obviously clearly wrong.”

Had the bird died of natural causes, the satellite tag would continue transmitting so it could be found, he added. But Fred seems to have disappeared without a trace.

Raptor Persecution UK says engineers at the tag manufacturing company have provided further technical data from the tag, which has been passed to Police Scotland.

Chris Packham is calling for more to be done to protect golden eagles. Petitions to ban or license driven grouse moor shooting have received over 33,000 and 11,000 signatures respectively. Scottish cabinet secretary Roseanna Cunningham said the government is taking steps to tackle raptor persecution and will increase sentences for wildlife crime.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.