Wildlife campaigner Chris Packham has slammed a Member of Parilament following claims police are 'wasting resources' investigating after two white-tailed eagles were found dead this week.
The birds had been released from the Isle of Wight in 2019 as part of a Forestry England project aimed at reintroducing the eagles to the UK for the first time in around 245 years.
West Dorset MP, Chris Loder, took to social media yesterday (Friday), to suggest that the investigation is a waste of police resources, a statement Packham said was 'not just undemocratic, but sinister.'
Writing on Twitter, Mr Loder said:
"Dorset is not the place for eagles to be reintroduced. I'm not challenging government for more money for Dorset so (funds) go on this.
"I don't condone this at all, but I want Dorset Police to focus on county lines rather than spend time and resources on this."
In response Mr Packham, a Trustee of Sandown's Wildheart Animal Sanctuary, said:
"You couldn't make it up... And you don't have to... as Chris Loder calls upon Dorset Police to not investigate crime (white-tailed eagles).
"Not just undemocratic but sinister. I cannot quite believe the disgusting state of some of our elected representatives."
The reintroduced eagles were found during multi-agency operations in the south of England.
An ongoing investigation aims to ascertain the causes of death for both birds, who are undergoing post mortem and toxicological examination.
A spokesperson for Dorset Police said:
"We can be contacted in confidence at [email protected], quoting occurrence 55220015571 with your contact details."
People can alternatively call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at Crimestoppers-uk.org.