White-tailed eagle shot down in Saxony – Anhalt (Germany)

“Flight recorder data” convict hunters as perpetrators! Last week, a strictly protected white-tailed eagle was shot down by an irresponsible hunter in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.

What the shooter didn’t know:
The rare bird of prey carried a GPS transmitter from the LIFE EUROKITE species protection project, which – like a flight recorder – precisely recorded the course of the crime.

According to the project manager Dr. Rainer Raab, it is the first time in Germany that the illegal shooting down of an eagle with the help of a transmitter could be documented meticulously and to the meter.
The evaluation of the transmitter data showed that the carcass was transported to a residential building after the death on February 24 and kept there overnight.

After a check revealed that the address was the residence of the responsible hunting tenant, the nature conservation authority carried out an inspection there.

Confronted with the allegations, the 81-year-old man admitted shooting down the eagle with a hunting rifle and taking it home with him.
Apparently, the man didn’t notice until the next morning that the bird was wearing a transmitter.

In order to cover up the crime, according to the nature conservation authority, the transmitter was tied to a piece of wood and thrown into the Biese river the following day.
The dead bird was also later “disposed of” in a body of water.
During a search, both the eagle and the transmitter were recovered and secured as evidence.

White-tailed eagles are one of the strictly protected bird species in Germany and enjoy a year-round closed season.

The committee against bird murder and LIFE EUROKITE have now filed criminal charges for violating the Federal Nature Conservation Act, the Animal Welfare Act and the Federal Hunting Act.

If convicted, the accused hunter faces up to five years in prison, a hefty fine and the withdrawal of his hunting license.

Read the detailed press release of the “Committee Against Bird Slaughter” and LIFE EUROKITE here: https://www.komitee.de/de/aktuelles/presse-meldungen/2022/protected-white-tailed-eagle-shot-in-germany/

And I mean…According to the Committee against Bird Murder, a total of 1,626 cases with more than 2,213 victims have become known in Germany since 2005, including 67 white-tailed eagles.

In Saxony-Anhalt in particular, 40 cases have been reported in recent years, including 15 captures, 10 nest destructions, seven shootings, six cases of poisoning and two cases of illegal husbandry.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg; as experience has shown that more than 90% of all crimes go undetected.

The perpetrators who have been convicted to date are almost always pigeon or poultry breeders or hunters who regard birds of prey as competitors.

This case happened on March 1st and both the prosecutor’s office and the police who took over the investigation have not provided any information on the case yet!!
One speaks of the revocation of the hunting license in this case.

Based on previous experiences, no effective conviction of the killer can be expected
And that’s why no one obeys the law.

My best regards to all, Venus