As Garda investigations continue, The Heritage Council has deplored the recent death of Conall, the golden eagle chick that died as a result of poisoning and was found on the Sligo/Leitrim border at Truskmore Mountain.

"The Golden Eagle Reintroduction Project (along with that of the Red Kite and the Sea Eagle) could be considered one of Ireland's flagships efforts to restore and protect our natural heritage. It is heartbreaking to see such efforts falter, particularly as we mark 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity," Heritage Council Wildlife Officer, Cliona O'Brien told THE SLIGO CHAMPION.

The Heritage Council is urging relevant state agencies and Departments, farming organisations and farming media to renew their energies in educating farmers of the wider implications and illegality of using poison meat baits for bird control. The use of poisons are also having a detrimental impact on other species such as the red kite and the barn owl – as the barn owl population declines so too does its ability to help the farmer in keeping rodents at bay. Such poisons are also dangerous to human health if accidentally ingested-particularly children.

"Time is of the essence if the golden eagle, and other birds of prey, are to remain soaring in our skies," said Ms. O'Brien.

The healthy young Irish Golden Eagle was found poisoned on the Sligo/Leitrim border at Truskmore Mountain. The 10 month old eagle chick was born and reared in a Donegal eyrie in 2009. The bird had spent the last four months wandering the beautiful mountains above Glencar Waterfall, Lough Gill and Gleniff.

The bird was tracked and found using a Global Positioning System satellite transmitter fitted on its back. The corpse, recovered on the 18th February 2010, was just inside the County Leitrim border. A post mortem carried out by the Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Rathcormack, Sligo revealed that the young male was in excellent condition prior to its death.

Toxicology analysis, carried out at the Ashtown Food Research Centre, Dublin 15 prove that the eagle was poisoned by Nitroxynil poured over the fleece of a dead newborn or aborted lamb. Nitroxynil is found in Throdax, which is a veterinary medicine used to treat liver fluke in livestock. New born lambs are not treated for liver fluke. Initial surveillance suggests that no local farmer has any new born lambs outdoors at present. Gardaí in Sligo Town have begun their investigation.

This male eagle was named Conall after "Tír Conall" - the Irish name for Donegal. Local people and children in Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim had been watching and following its regular movements on the project website (www.goldeneagle.ie).

Prior to the 2009 lambing season another satellite tagged Golden Eagle was found poisoned with Paraquat on the 19th February 2009 in West Donegal. The loss of up to 10% of Irish Golden Eagle population within a year suggests that the Golden Eagle Project could fail, unless the unlawful use of toxins by a small percentage of farmers ceases. In total, nine White tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles and Kites have been confirmed poisoned in Ireland over the last two and a half years. Recent monitoring by the Golden Eagle Trust proves that poisons, such as Alphachloralose, Carbofuran, Paraquat and Nitroxynil, have been used illegally in Munster, Ulster, Leinster and now Connaught.

Lorcán O Toole from the Golden Eagle Trust said, "This issue is about the illegal use of poison within Irish farming. We believe the few hundred farmers using poison illegally are at variance with the huge environmental advances Irish farming has undergone over the last ten years. We have always fully acknowledged the support and co-operation of the sheep farming community in the Northwest and continue to do so. But unfortunately the poisoning this Golden Eagle, undermines the image of Irish food and weakens the potential for local tourism and damages the fragile rural economy in the Northwest, we believe."