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Spanish Imperial Eagle shot in Portugal (1 Viewer)

S

Simon Wates

Well-known member
Today it has come to public attention that last Friday, 27th February 2009 the adult male of the only pair of Spanish Imperial Eagles that successfully fledged young in Portugal last year, was found shot by its nest.

The body was found and the cause of death verified by biologists working in the Parque Natural de Vale de Guadiana in the Mertola region of the Baixo Alentejo. There are, at the moment either 4 or 5 pairs of this most beautiful and endangered eagle holding territories in Portugal - their reproduction success has been low since they made a comeback from extinction in Portugal around 2000.

I am too saddened for words - I knew this bird!

I wonder if/how people could express their feelings in a constructive manner towards the Portuguese authorities?

Simon (too sad for smilies)

PS; Maybe people could comment on this Portuguese news website - here is the link to the article - it has a text box at the bottom - no problem writing in English but keep it simple - It would be good for them to get some response from abroad. There is another little box that say Pais - this means Country!

http://ultimahora.publico.clix.pt/noticia.aspx?id=1367354
 
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It really saddens me too Simon, I can't express my feelings about people who do this sort of thing more than to say the world would be a better place without them.

I doubt very much complaining to the authorities would make any difference.
 
Knowing the Portuguese society deeply, I beg to differ John. If a few tens of potential or actual British tourists complained/expressed their concern to the Portuguese authorities I am convinced that it would have a positive effect.

In view of similar illegal raptor killings in the UK I do think that any such voices should be directed at the Portuguese as such, just at the event. On the news page there are now over 200 comments, almost entirely Portuguese and they are pulling their own country apart about this! This sad event is stirring a lot of souls here - and not just birders etc!

Best wishes

Simon
 
Hi Simon,

I`ve added my comment to the page you linked, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

As for if it will have any effect, I don`t know. But I do know that doing nothing won`t help and putting a comment on a board or sending an e-mail does not take much effort and might just make a difference.

See-http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=39523467197
 
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Simon, I apologise if you think I was having a go at the Portuguese, I wasn't, my comments were on a world-wide scale, it happens here and I expect every other country in the world.

It is heartening to hear so many people in Portugal are up in arms about this incident.
 
Its fine John, thanks - and sorry if I misinterpreted your comments! You are so right about the world being a different place without people who do this sort of thing!

Regards

Simon
 
Sad news, Simon, very sad.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention and for the link.
I have added a comment in the hope that if nothing else it will encourage the authorities to bring the perpetrator/s to justice. As busyb has commented "putting a comment on a board or sending an e-mail does not take much effort and might just make a difference".

I hope the female has not suffered the same fate as her partner. Have you any news on the female?

I also hope that the 'Resident' (weekly newspaper for ex-pats) will make this sad incident front page news and hopefully many ex-pats will also leave a comment on the 'news website'.
 
Last night on at least one of the main TV news channels, SIC, a small report was shown at prime time about this "crime abiental"

Here is the video: http://sic.aeiou.pt/online/video/informacao/Jornal+da+Noite/2009/3/crimeambiental.htm

The short piece doesn't show the Spanish Imperial Eagles in question (except the dead body) but shows 2 younger birds (I believe!!!) and a Short-toed Eagle, a Black-shouldered Kite and a Eurasian Black Vulture - some of the many other raptors that inhabit the area in question.

Simon
 
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how could someone do something like that to an endangered bird,these people who shoot raptors are ignorant and i think they should get a minimum of 2 years in prison:C
 
tjbirdofprey said:
how could someone do something like that to an endangered bird,these people who shoot raptors are ignorant and i think they should get a minimum of 2 years in prison:C
Click to expand...

"Endangered" doesn't get close to describing the precarious nature of the population of Spanish Imperial Eagle.

By coincidence I was browsing through the notes at the end of Garcia & Paterson's "Where to watch birds - Southern & Western Spain" just before logging on here and seeing this thread.

The notes for SIE begin as follows;

"A scarce and slowly decining species. The world population was only 131 pairs in 1999, down from 148 pairs in 1994"

This shooting is tragic. It's hard to take in.
 
Some people devote their lives to trying to make up for some of the damage Man has done to Nature. They see a species threatened with extinction and do all they can to try to help it survive. Then an idiot comes along with a gun.

Sadly it's also likely it will happen again somewhere else.

Sorry, not constructive at all. I can't say what I really feel about this as I would be banned from this forum.
 
yea i know what you mean ckten if i said what i really want to say about these poeple there would be a warrant out for my arrest;) anyway i am thinking these birds are on the edge of extinction so why cant the government get some kind of team to moniter these birds?,a kind of raptor body guard or something.
 
Actual population 2008 and conservation measures

Some good news I hope!

On the 4th February 2009, The Iberian Work Group for Spanish Imperial Eagle held its first meeting this year in Portalegre, Portugal. Of course one the discussion points was the recent shooting of the male of the only productive pair in Portugal in 2008. All the regional coordinators for the species from Spain were present as well as other key figures from both Spain and Portugal.

The principal conclusions of the meeting were:

1. Data collected in 2008 revealed a total of 254 breeding pairs including 4 in Portugal.

2. The average rate of replacement of parents within pairs is 10 years for males and 12 years for females. During the last 5 years the 4 pairs in Portugal substituted one of the pair at least once - and there was at least one case where both pair members were replaced. This leads to the worrying conclusion that non-natural mortality (power line collisions, shooting, poisoning etc.) in Portugal was very high compared to the averages for Spain.

3. In the knowledge of this alarming statistic it was decided that all young birds should be colour ringed and fitted with a standard tracking device, while all adults should be fitted with satellite tracking devices.

4. It was decided that a constant vigilance and monitoring scheme be implemented in Portugal (in Spain this is already happening) for known pairs. The main objective of this being the avoidance of situations like the recent shooting.

5. It was concluded that efforts on population studies, including its expansion, should obviously be concentrated in Portugal. Consequently, the studies and projects around this species will become Iberian projects instead of solely Spanish.

6. Search for and monitor new potential areas where Spanish Imperial Eagle could be spreading into, as well as defining the settling areas of juveniles and immatures.

Simon
 
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Sounds good. Maybe the tragedy wasn't absolutely pointless and made some decisions easier. Let's hope the best for this wonderful species.

André
 
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Hi Simon,

What an absolute tragedy. So much 'good' work is being done, largely unnoticed, which is both extremely important and currently beneficial to the species in the Iberian penninsula. Like the deaths we have recorded in the Sierra Morena area, this one makes you so sad and angry at the pointless nature of the death.

Thanks for posting and hope you don't mind, but posted on our Andalucian forum.

:C Peter
 
That is terrible news! We lost one of our white tailed eagle chicks to poisoning! I just dont understand the mentality of the people who do this sort of thing - there are so many people out there trying to protect our wildlife and it takes one idiot to wipe it out! Just lost for words. Thank you for sharing the story - it needs to be made public as possible
 
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