White-tailed sea eagle poisoned in North Dorset

The police have ended the investigation into the death of a white-tailed sea eagle in Dorset - despite the bird having seven times the amount of poison needed to kill it.

The rare bird of prey was found dead on a shooting estate in North Dorset in late January.

On Tuesday, March 29th, Dorset Police announced that they will not be taking further action - despite finding high levels of the rodenticide brodifacoum - since they "could not confirm if any criminal offence had been committed".

The RSPB says it is "baffled" at the police's reaction to what it calls "an illegal act".

White-tailed sea eagles are one of the UK's largest and rarest birds.

The eagle found dead was a male released in an reintroduction project on the Isle of Wight in 2020.

A spokesperson for Dorset Police said: "An investigation under Section 1 of the Wildlife Countryside Act 1981 was carried out in conjunction with the RSPB, Natural England, National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation.

“A detailed examination and tests have been carried out on the bird, which were inconclusive, and it has therefore not been possible to confirm that any criminal offence has been committed.

“While high levels of brodifacoum were detected, it has not been possible to establish whether this was as a result of a deliberate act or due to secondary rodenticide poisoning.

“As a result, no further police action will be taken in relation to this report.”