Golden eagle shot 17 times saved after gamekeepers raise alarm

A golden eagle found to have at least 17 shotgun pellets in her body has been returned to the wild after gamekeepers in the Lammermuir Hills raised the alarm. Police Scotland has appealed for information, and Scottish Land & Estates has backed the search for whoever shot the protected bird.

What happened to Squeagle the golden eagle?

The four-year-old female golden eagle, named Squeagle, was moved from the Outer Hebrides to the Lammermuir Hills in the Scottish Borders in February as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, run by Restoring Upland Nature.

After her release she ranged widely. Satellite tracking showed her travelling south into northern England, moving through Northumberland, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Dales during March and April before she returned to Scotland.

A photograph taken by a birdwatcher in Northumberland on 4 May later showed significant damage to her wing feathers, the first sign that something was wrong.

How did gamekeepers help rescue the eagle?

On 1 June, gamekeepers on the estate in the Lammermuirs where Squeagle had been released noticed that she appeared to be in pain and immediately alerted the project team.

She was collected by the project’s golden eagle officer, John Wright, and taken to the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross, near Alloa. There, scans and veterinary examination revealed she had been shot, with at least 17 shotgun pellets lodged in her body and wings.

After specialist care she recovered well and was released back into the wild on Saturday, 6 June, at a confidential location in southern Scotland.

What have police and the shooting sector said?

Police Scotland has issued an appeal for information. Wildlife crime officers from Northumberland, Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire have joined the investigation, supported by the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit.

Ross Ewing, director of moorland and strategic projects at Scottish Land & Estates, urged anyone with information to come forward and praised the keepers who raised the alarm. “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,” he said. “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.”

The South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, which has worked to restore golden eagle numbers across southern Scotland, condemned the shooting as an act of persecution.

Is it illegal to shoot a golden eagle?

Yes. All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which makes it an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take one. The golden eagle is also listed on Schedule 1 of the Act, giving it the highest level of protection and exposing offenders to the stiffest penalties.

What happens next

The investigation remains open and police are keen to hear from anyone who saw anything unusual along Squeagle’s route through southern Scotland and northern England this spring. Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland, quoting incident number 1361 of 5 June 2026, or to report wildlife crime through the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit. More on the project and its translocated eagles is available from the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.