Police Appeal After Sussex White-Tailed Eagle Chick Disappears

Police are appealing for information following the suspicious disappearance of a white-tailed eagle chick born in the wild in Sussex earlier this year — one of the first to fledge in England for hundreds of years.

The missing bird was part of a landmark conservation project led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, which is working to reintroduce white-tailed eagles to the English landscape. Its disappearance is now being investigated by Sussex Police, alongside other forces and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.

The Sussex chick was one of two white-tailed eagles to successfully fledge from a nest in the county this summer, sparking widespread public interest and local pride.

The pair were the first white-tailed eagles to breed successfully in England for more than 240 years, with residents across West Sussex reporting sightings as the young birds explored the area.

All eagles released as part of the project are fitted with satellite trackers so their movements can be monitored.

On 26 September, a satellite tag belonging to the Sussex chick, known as G842, was recovered from the River Rother near Petersfield.

It had been deliberately removed from the bird using a sharp instrument. Despite extensive searches, the bird has not been found.

Tim Mackrill from the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation said the discovery was “devastating”, particularly given how recently the chick had begun its life in the wild.

“So many people in Sussex shared the joy of seeing these birds return after hundreds of years,” he said.

“To have that taken away just months later is deeply shocking.”

Steve Egerton-Read, White-Tailed Eagle Project Officer for Forestry England, said the project has received strong public backing and urged people to help again.

“We are returning this lost species to the English landscape and have had so much support from the public,” he said.

“These special birds are helping people connect with the natural world and showing how, with a little bit of help, nature can thrive.

"We are asking the public to show this support again by encouraging anyone who has information that may help the police investigation to come forward.”

Sussex Police are appealing for information from anyone who was in or around Harting Down and Petersfield on the evening of 20 September 2025.

Anyone who may have seen the eagle or noticed suspicious behaviour is asked to contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, quoting incident number 769.

Two other white-tailed eagle disappearances elsewhere in the UK are also under investigation, after satellite tags were found cut off and dumped. Police say any targeting of the birds could threaten the long-term future of the reintroduction project.