A GOLDEN eagle that went missing in January was almost certainly illegally killed, according to new data uncovered by campaigners and scientists.

Transmissions from a GPS satellite tag worn by the bird, who was named Fred, suddenly stopped when he was near a grouse moor on the Pentland Hills. Three days later, it briefly began transmitting again from a position in the North Sea, 15 miles off the coast of St Andrews. The discovery led to a furious row between campaigners and gamekeepers.

Now, analysis of new GPS data, recovered by the tag’s manufacturer, has seemingly shed new light on what happened to Fred.

In the hours after his death, Fred, or certainly his tag, was taken away from the Pentlands, along the Edinburgh City Bypass and the A1 towards Haddington, before travelling to North Berwick. The tag then passed mobile phone masts on the coast of Fife.

Campaigners say it is not inconceivable to suggest someone killed Fred, put him in the boot of their car and then threw him into the sea. Broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham said: “We don’t know whether this tag was still attached to Fred as it travelled across East Lothian and into the North Sea, but we do know that the tag’s movements are a clear indication of foul play.

“Whether it was an attempt to mask the illegal killing of Fred by dumping the tag, and possibly Fred, in the North Sea to make it look like he had drowned, we’ll never know. We do know that, once again, we’ve lost a young golden eagle in the vicinity of a grouse moor.”

Packham called on the Scottish Government to do more to protect Scotland’s birds of prey. He said: “It’s crystal clear that raptors continue to be killed and the criminals responsible think they are untouchable.”

Dr Ruth Tingay of the organisation Raptor Persecution said: “That someone might have been travelling around the Edinburgh City Bypass with a dead golden eagle in the boot of a vehicle is sickening.

“These new tags we’re using to track golden eagles like Fred offer a highly sophisticated technical opportunity, not just to learn about the eagles’ movements when they’re alive but also, it seems, an insight into the lengths someone will go to try to remove evidence to cover their crime.”

Last year, a Scottish Government-commissioned report showed that 41 of 131 satellite-tagged golden eagles had disappeared in mysterious circumstances in Scotland.

A spokesman for the Scottish Gamekeepers Association said: “The SGA repeats its previous message. If anyone knows anything, contact the only authority able to deal with such information, the police.

“If persecution is at play, we condemn that. If this is found to be anything to do with any of our members – and we have no reason whatsoever to believe it is – they will be removed from our organisation.”

David Johnstone, chairman of landowners’ body Scottish Land & Estates, said: “Once again, we would urge anyone with information to make it known to Police Scotland as soon as possible. Everyone wants to establish the facts in this case. We condemn all forms of wildlife crime.”