Project to Return White-tailed Eagles to Norfolk Has Been Cancelled

To the dismay of conservationists, a groundbreaking initiative to bring white-tailed eagles back to Norfolk for the first time in 200 years has been canceled at the last minute.

(Photo : Getty Images)

Project Cancellation

From next year, the UK's largest birds of prey were to be released at Wild Ken Hill, the estate that hosts the BBC's Autumnwatch program, with plans to release 60 birds over ten years.

According to a poll, 91 percent of residents in the area approve the proposals, and about £10,000 has been gathered through crowdsourcing. The estate requested funds to transport the birds from Poland and construct a temporary home for them in the grounds while they acclimated to their new environment.

Natural England insiders expressed disappointment with the project's cancellation, but claimed it was not their decision.

Local estate owners were concerned, according to the Guardian, that the eagles would predate endangered wading species on the wetlands in north Norfolk, as well as devour pheasants and partridge, causing problems for hunting interests. Some farmers were also loud in their opposition, fearing that the eagles would destroy their animals.

Also Read: Mistaken to be Extinct, Sea Eagles Spotted in Loch Lomond for the First Time in 100 Years

White-tailed Eagle

Due to persecution, white-tailed eagles, which had a two-metre wingspan, were extinct in Britain by the early twentieth century, and there is no breeding population on mainland England. From the 1970s until 2019, the birds were reintroduced to Scotland and the Isle of Wight.

The project, which was approved by Natural England, was conceived by the north Norfolk estate in collaboration with eagle specialist Roy Dennis and received broad support and media attention, including, it was rumoured, from Prince Charles, who owns the neighboring Sandringham estate.

"We proceed to believe that restoring white-tailed eagles to eastern England is an important and inevitable conservation goal, and that the original plans for a release beginning in 2022 successfully," said a Wild Ken Hill representative. We've made the difficult decision, however, to refocus our nationally recognized nature and regenerative farming project on other issues."

(Photo : Getty Images)

The Proposal

"Agriculturist expressed concern about the impact these predators could have on the large numbers of free-range livestock in Norfolk, as well as those in Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Lincolnshire," said Rob Wise, the National Farmers' Union's East Anglia environment adviser.

"This eastern province is home to more than half of the country's outdoor-raised pigs and poultry, as well as major sheep pasture."

For the proposal to go through, Wild Ken Hill needed permission from some of its neighbors, and it is reported that the Sandringham estate did not object, despite the Prince of Wales' organic sheep farm being located there.

According to Wild Ken Hill, the project was approved following a feasibility assessment and public consultation that revealed strong local support, especially from farmers.

Six of the birds freed on the Isle of Wight have spent time in Norfolk in the past year, but conservationists warn that without aid, the species' population would take a long time to increase and recolonize East Anglia.

Related Article: Prehistoric Eagle: One of the OLDEST RAPTOR Species Found in South Australia

For more news, updates about white-tailed eagles and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!