Police fears for golden eagles missing in hills

The eagles have gone missing from an area outside Langholm

Police say they are concerned for the welfare of two golden eagles that have gone missing in the hills of Dumfries and Galloway.

A satellite-tagged four-year-old named Tarras disappeared near Langholm between Wednesday and Friday of last week. Officers say the tag showed suspicious patterns and data reports.

A search with dogs trained in finding birds and their tags has been carried out but there has been no trace of Tarras.

Police say his mate, Wren, is also missing and there are growing concerns for her welfare but data from her tag shows no evidence she has come to harm.

Tarras was moved to the area in 2021 as part of the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project.

Det Sgt David Lynn, Police Scotland's National Wildlife Crime Coordinator, said: "The data received from Tarras' tag suggests that he has come to harm to the north of Langholm and efforts remain ongoing to locate him and his tag.

"We cannot say for certain that Wren has also come to harm, but her disappearance is worrying.

"Our investigation remains ongoing, and we are working with a range of partner agencies to establish more details around the disappearance of both birds."

He urged anyone with information to contact the force.