One of the first Irish-bred white-tailed eagles has been found shot dead in Tipperary.
The young male was reared by a pair of eagles at a nest on Lough Derg in the north of the county…the last confirmed sighting of the bird was in Dromineer in January.
The Department of Arts and Heritage confirmed that the eagle was shot down with up to 50 shotgun pellets and was found near Ballinderry in North Tipperary.
The bird survived for a number of weeks before dying.
A spokesperson for the eagle reintroduction programme said it was shocking that one of the first two Irish-bred eagles has been shot only 7 months after leaving the nest.
Gardai are investigating.
