Two Red Kites test positive for poison

Updated: 22:19, Saturday, 27 March 2010

Two young Red Kites, found dead in Co Wicklow, have tested positive for poison.

1 of 1 Red Kite Two young birds poisoned
Red Kite
Two young birds poisoned

The birds, which were released last July as part of a project by the Golden Eagle Trust to reintroduce the species to Ireland, were discovered by members by the public.

Just over a month after the discovery of a poisoned eagle chick in Co Sligo, two more rare birds have been found poisoned in Wicklow.

One Red Kite was found on a road near Aughrim in Co Wicklow while a second was discovered floating in the sea, just off Wicklow Head.

The birds were released last July as part of a five year project run by the Golden Eagle Trust, to reintroduce Red Kites, which became extinct here two hundred years ago.

The Golden Eagle Trust says while survival rates of the kites to date have been high, this latest poisoning is a setback and a worry.

A spokesperson for the Wicklow Branch of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association has called on farmers to be cautious putting out bait.

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