Someone must answer for eagles' death
THE death of the white-tailed sea eagles last week in the beautiful Glencar area of Co Kerry is a sad reflection on our society.
If it's proven to be certain that these magnificent birds died of poison, the person or persons responsible should have to answer for such a cowardly act.
Further more it is very disappointing that the circumstantial evidence is pointing toward the hill farmers, after all the farming community is quite boastful of the cliche, "Custodians of the countryside".
And so they should be.
The farmer is getting well paid through the Rural Environmental Protection Scheme (REPS) to protect the habitat, enhance the wildlife, and have clean water courses.
Basic fundamental necessities for all life, and neglected by government for years.
How can a government department justify paying out public monies through REPS to allow people to lay out poison killing protected wildlife indiscriminately?
Whether or not the killing of these eagles was accidental or otherwise is irrelevant.
The loss of these birds is a terrible blow to the project, to Dr Allan Mee and the Golden Eagle Trust and too high a price to pay to have spring lamb on the menu.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE possible poisoning of two White-tailed Sea Eagles in Co Kerry is an act of environmental terrorism.
It behoves the statutory investigating authorities to purse this matter to a judicial conviction for the perpetrator/s of this avian killing.
It was always going to be a struggle to bring conservation measures to fruition in the Irish countryside.
There is an inherent animosity towards wildlife by elements of the farming and live hunting community.
Ditch thick when it comes to understanding the role of wildlife in the countryside, elements of the farming community respond by using weapons of the weak: gun, snare, hunting dog, slurry and poison.
On their shoulder are the local hunting community exploiting the situation in their pursuit of getting hunting permission.
