Current status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 26 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the survival rate has been of golden eagle chicks removed from nests in Scotland and relocated to Ireland in each year since the golden eagle reintroduction project began.
Mortality rates are not availableon a yearly basis. Twenty-six of the 42 individuals released (62%) were knownto be alive at the end of 2005. This should not be seen as a definitive survivalrate as it would be incorrect to assume that most of the other birds are dead. However,the known survival rate is very good, similar to Scottish survival rates and, althoughdata is incomplete given that the project is still at a very early age, it is myunderstanding that survival is well within the expected range, and sufficient toachieve the project’s aims.