A satellite-tagged white-tailed eagle vanished in suspicious circumstances in the Scottish Borders, triggering a police investigation into possible foul play.

This disappearance is the third incident involving a white-tailed eagle linked to the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation reintroduction programme, with similar cases recorded in England and Wales.

Authorities are asking the public to share information from Harting Down, Petersfield, and nearby areas from the evenings of 20 September and other related locations to aid inquiries.

The Birds of Poole Harbour group condemned illegal persecution, warning it could jeopardize the project and broader recolonisation efforts across the birds’ historic range.

One case involved a chick tagged G842 whose tag was recovered from the River Rother near Petersfield after being removed with a sharp instrument, with searches for the body turning up empty.

Local media continue to cover Scottish Borders and North Northumberland developments and provide updates.

The missing birds are part of a Forestry England and Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation project that began in 2019 with Isle of Wight releases and has since yielded several wild-bred chicks for the first time since the 1780s.

Despite DNA and fingerprint work, police have not located the eagle, and the investigation remains active with appeals for witnesses to come forward.

Dyfed-Powys Police and the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit are seeking information about the incident near the Gwgia Reservoir in Tregynon and nearby access land.

In November the eagle expanded north of the Moorfoots near Gladhouse Reservoir before the satellite tag stopped transmitting under suspicious circumstances.

A Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation spokesperson called the disappearances sickening and deeply shocking.

Sussex Police, Dyfed Powys Police, and Police Scotland are investigating separate incidents related to satellite tags G842, G615, and G819, amid sightings and data interruptions suggesting possible illegal activity.