The Finnish AssociationforNature Conservation (FANC) and Birdlife Finland have expressed their dismay over a recent wave of shootings of golden eagles. This year at least four of the endangered raptors have been killed in southern Finland, in the towns of Virrat, Mouhijärvi, Harjavalta and Köyliö. The organisations say there have also been signs of disruption of nesting in the eastern Kainuu region.
There are an estimated 330-400 breeding pairs in Finland, with the species staging a slow recovery since a low of some 100 pairs in the 1970s.
“As people’s awareness of nature has grown, persecution of birds of prey has long been on the decline,” says BirdLife Finland president Aki Arkiomaa. “In recent years the situation has changed, which may be due to distorted views of the role of birds of prey in nature, which have cropped up in the public debate.”
Birdlife Finland and FANC call on police and hunters to do their best to resolve these cases, and on anyone with information about them to pass it on to authorities and nature protection groups.
Some of the eagles were shot from close range with shotguns, making it unlikely that they were killed by accident.