Sheep
predation by white tailed sea eagles has risen to a level where it is now
almost impossible for some farmers and crofters to maintain their flocks.
There are
now an estimated 130 breeding pairs of the giant raptors in the west of
Scotland following species reintroduction 30 years ago – but the population is
predicted to soar to 700 pairs by 2040.
Not only
are young lambs being killed, but adult sheep of up to 60kg are also now being
taken.
Skye
crofter Alastair Culbertson said: “We can lamb in parks near the house to
protect young lambs but as soon as they are turned out on the open hill they
and their mother become targets.
“These
concerns have repeatedly been rejected by RSPB’s local representative at the
Skye and Lochalsh Sea Eagle Stakeholder Group, who puts all livestock loss down
to crofters’ ignorance and their failure to manage their livestock properly.
"Many
crofters believe that at a local level, RSPB is a direct threat to them and
that at the national level, crofters’ concerns are nothing more than an
irrelevant inconvenience.”
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