Farmers have called for a government investigation amid fears that sea eagles are snatching ponies from an island herd.
Veteran crofter Donald John Cameron raised the alarm after five Shetland pony foals vanished from his herd on South Uist over a nine-week period earlier this year.
He points to the giant birds of prey, which have a wingspan of 8ft and often circle his flocks, as the most likely culprits.
Cameron said: ‘They’re not dissolving into thin air. We have had Shetland ponies for 60 years-plus, and nothing like this has happened before. The only difference in the last few years is that we have a bigger presence of white-tailed eagles.’
The huge raptors were reintroduced to Scotland in 1975, 60 years after they were declared extinct. But while their return was initially hailed as a victory for conservationists, the eagles quickly begun to wreak havoc on Scottish farms.
Mr Cameron’s allegations come months after a spate of eagle attacks on lambs across the country prompted other farmers to demand a cull of the species.
In January the Scottish Daily Mail told how one farmer in Argyll faced ruin after sea eagles killed nearly 300 lambs on his farm.
Richard Rennie said: ‘As soon as we turn [the lambs] out onto the hills it’s just a massacre. We made a loss of £24,000 last year. Everyone thinks the numbers we cite are ridiculous. But if you get four eagles killing one lamb each a day over 50 days that’s 200 lambs.’
Crofters have called for action amid fears sea eagles are targeting livestock
Ponies have gone missing and farmers are convinced they are being taken by eagles
Now Mr Cameron argues that incidents like these, along with other evidence of eagles taking larger deer calves, suggests that the birds may have begun targeting small ponies too.
The crofter stressed that he ‘can’t see any other explanation,’ adding that the behaviour of the foals’ mothers suggests the missing ponies were predated.
David Colthart, who represents farmers on the National Sea Eagles Stakeholders’ Panel, admitted that while the birds had never been known to lift ponies before, such behaviour is not out of the question.
He told the Sunday Post: ‘This the first time I have heard of white-tailed eagles being suspected of lifting Shetland pony foals. I have seen photos of them carrying deer calves so it’s not impossible given the small size of Shetland foals.’
In response to Mr Cameron’s accusations, the Scottish Government’s wildlife agency NatureScot has pledged to inspect sea eagles’ nests in the surrounding area.
Experts hope that studying animal remains lodged in the nests will reveal what the birds have been eating, and so confirm whether they have begun to prey on larger animals.
If they discover pony carcasses, Cameron has demanded government help to move the birds elsewhere or to better protect his herd.
A NatureScot spokesman said that the agency had already offered Cameron offered him advice on the support available through its Sea Eagle Management Scheme.
They added: ‘While there is currently no direct evidence to support his view, we will be analysing prey remains from sea eagle nests across North and South Uist this year to help inform our wider work with farmers and crofters. This will include visits to nest sites near Mr Cameron’s holding.’
