SLE supports police appeal for information regarding golden eagle shooting

Press Release

An appeal for information regarding the shooting of a golden eagle has been supported by Scottish Land & Estates, the rural business organisation.

Police Scotland today issued an appeal for information following injuries sustained by a four-year-old female eagle named Squeagle, who was found with 17 shotgun pellets detected in her body.

Shortly after her release in February, satellite tracking showed that Squeagle travelled south into northern England, spending March and April moving through Northumberland, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales. She later returned to Scotland. 

On June 1st, gamekeepers on the Lammermuirs estate where Squeagle had originally been released observed that she appeared to be in pain and immediately alerted Restoring Upland Nature (RUN), home of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

Squeagle was collected by RUN’s Golden Eagle Officer John Wright and taken immediately to the Scottish SPCA National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Alloa. There, she received specialist care and was closely monitored by senior veterinary staff.

Following her recovery, RUN - supported by the Scottish SPCA and the gamekeepers involved in her rescue - have now re-released Squeagle at a confidential location in southern Scotland.

Police wildlife crime officers from Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire have joined Police Scotland in today’s appeal, with support from the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Ross Ewing, Director of Moorland and Strategic Projects at Scottish Land & Estates, said:

“We would urge anyone with information about what happened to Squeagle to come forward and assist the police investigation. This is a distressing case and the priority now must be to establish exactly how Squeagle came to be injured.

“Her movements after release took her across Northumberland, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales, and a photograph taken by a local birdwatcher in Northumberland on May 4th later indicated that she had sustained significant damage to her wing feathers. Anyone who may have information, however small it may seem, should contact the police.

“It is also right to recognise the actions of the gamekeepers in the Lammermuirs, who immediately raised the alarm when they saw Squeagle was in difficulty. That prompt intervention, alongside the knowledge and care of Restoring Upland Nature and the Scottish SPCA, has ensured Squeagle could be successfully returned to the wild.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland, quoting incident number 1361 of 5 June 2026.

Photo caption: Squeagle in Northumberland with damage to her wing feathers - 4th May 2026 (Credit Restoring Upland Nature)