Golden eagles are legally protected but continue to face illegal killing on Scottish grouse moors, with satellite tagging revealing suspicious disappearances concentrated on intensively managed grouse moor estates.
Poisoned golden eagles experience acute toxic death — carbofuran and bendiocarb used in poisoned baits cause rapid-onset convulsions. Trap-caught eagles sustain leg injuries before the trapper returns. Shot eagles that survive initially suffer from blood loss, infection, and flight incapacity. Persecution creates unoccupied territories that reduce effective breeding population below carrying capacity — a population-level welfare harm. The territorial and social disruption caused by illegal removals affects neighbouring pairs and dispersing juveniles seeking territories.