A NEW campaign has been launched to stop birds of prey being slaughtered in the wild.
The charity RSPB has said it is time to stop the illegal killing of the magnificent creatures across the UK.
Dr Mark Avery, the RSPB's director, said: "It is outrageous that birds of prey are still being killed illegally and that these fantastic
birds are destroyed before they can cast their shadows on some of our most beautiful wild places.
"The skies are owned by no-one, but a callous few want to deprive the nation of some of our most charismatic wildlife."
The charity blames landowners and people who shoot for sport for the killings. The birds have been killed on country estates in Scotland, as well as in national parks in England.
The latest statistics from the RSPB show there were 98 allegations or reports of bird of prey poisoning in Scotland in 2006.
The charity recorded 853 cases of raptor persecution in Scotland from 2001 to 2006, but only 12 prosecutions succeeded.
Following a red kite reintroduction project in the north of Scotland, 38 per cent of the birds have been poisoned, and a further 9 per cent have died because of other illegal activity.
Rare white-tailed eagles, also known as sea eagles, have successfully been reintroduced into Scotland, with about 40 breeding pairs now in the wild.
But since the project began in the 1970s, at least seven have been killed illegally, and four clutches of eggs stolen. An additional 15 sea eagles were released in Fife in August last year. In December, one of them vanished and is believed killed.
And in the Borders, one golden eagle from the last breeding pair was found poisoned in August last year.
It had eaten the banned substance carbofuran and police suspected gamekeepers anxious to protect the dwindling number of grouse from the talons of eagles and other raptors.
As a consequence, the local wildlife crime officer has said he will not support a reintroduction of golden eagles into the area, saying it is too dangerous.
A review of wildlife crime was announced last week, with proposals, supported by the RSPB, for a full-time wildlife crime officer in every police force.
The Scotsman has backed a campaign – Stop Them Now – in conjunction with the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to help catch those responsible for poisoning birds of prey.
THE Scotsman is committed to helping the SSPCA catch those responsible for killing birds of prey and other wildlife.
Information about raptor poisonings and other incidents of wildlife crime can be passed to police via the National Wildlife Crime Unit in North Berwick on 01620 893607. 