More wildlife crime officers need to be recruited to tackle persecution incidents across Northern Ireland following last week’s shock shooting of a rare white-tailed eagle, animal welfare campaigners have warned.

The dead eagle was discovered only weeks after a red kite released in Co Down earlier this year was found to have been killed by an illegal poison used to lace a rabbit carcass.

Dedicated wildlife crime officers are needed to police rural areas of Northern Ireland and tackle what has become a ‘Cinderella crime’, the USPCA said. At present the PSNI employs only one civilian wildlife officer who provides expert guidance to officers on investigating wildlife crime.

Last week two kayakers on Lough Neagh found the shot white-tailed eagle floating in the Lady’s Bay area. The bird was identified by wing tags and a radio transmitter as a female released in Killarney National Park in August as part of an ongoing reintroduction of the species. Examination of the transmitter showed it to have two holes in the antenna consistent with being caused by a shotgun cartridge.

USPCA chief executive Stephen Philpott said it wasn’t enough for the PSNI to employ one wildlife crime officer who has no investigative powers.

“USPCA feel it would be much better if the PSNI had a number of dedicated wildlife officers in the force across the province,” he said.

“Because of the scale of the problem it needs people investigating it within the divisions — we need people to prevent it as much as investigate it.”