This lambing season, predation by white tailed sea eagles appears to have reached unprecedented levels. SCF is asking government to take decisive steps to limit further damage.
When SCF asked crofters earlier this year about what poses the biggest threat to newborn lambs, the two most frequent responses were the weather and predators. With lambing now over for most, the weather this year has not been much of an issue, however, the threat from predators and particularly sea eagles continues to be a growing problem. In some areas, predation by sea eagles has become the main cause of death in healthy lambs.
Reportedly, sea eagles’ habitat range is increasing, with animals being seen in places where they previously have not been present, and in larger numbers where they have. Those who use social media will no doubt have seen various distressing videos capturing a sea eagle flying off with a lamb, a truly heartbreaking sight with the crofter unable to do anything to stop it. Crofters who used to lamb outdoors have had to move indoors to reduce the risk of predation, and have had to keep healthy lambs on in-bye land longer than they used to before moving them to hill grazing, adding to the pressure put on in-bye land in spring.
SCF Director Pàdruig Morrison who is a crofter in North Uist said: “Crofters are on the ground from dawn till dusk during lambing and have a real sense of lamb health, vigour, and the occasional but inevitable cases of stillbirths or hypothermia. So when crofters suggest eagles have killed lambs, it is being said from a place of intimate knowledge of the flock on the ground.”
The Scottish Government have increased the amount of support available through the Sea Eagle Management Scheme (SEMS) this year. SCF Chief Executive Donna Smith said: “The increase in available support may be viewed as a concession that sea eagles are indeed killing more lambs recently. We would encourage everyone who has witnessed losses through predation to apply to the scheme to give further evidence to government about the real numbers affected.”
SCF Chair Jonathan Hedges said: “In some areas, predator numbers have reached a point where crofters’ losses of healthy lambs through sea eagles by far exceed the losses through stillbirths and other natural causes of death. The situation has reached a point where things are clearly out of proportion.” Pàdruig Morrison added: “Increasingly high welfare standards are expected of crofters in caring for their lambs – but if the current impact from sea eagles is to continue, significant ethical questions emerge regarding the perpetuation of such widespread gruesome and painful damage and death to young lambs.”
While the continued support through SEMS is to be welcomed, SCF is asking government to look into additional measures to control predation in areas where population increases have become unsustainable.
