AN investigation is underway into the cause of death of two rare birds of prey in Co Antrim.
The white-tailed eagles were found in the Glenhead Road area of Ballymena on Monday.
Police said the "distressing" deaths have raised suspicions as the birds had "no obvious signs of injury".
A post-mortem on the eagles is to be carried out in a bid to determine the cause of death.
It has been confirmed one of the eagles was born in Norway and brought to Ireland to be released last year in the Shannon estuary area.
The raptor species had previously been extinct on the island of Ireland after being hunted in the early 20th century, before being reintroduced in 2007 under a breeding programme in partnership with Norway.
Conservation experts noted an increase in the number of white-tailed eagle chicks last year in the south-west of Ireland.
The increase followed a reduction of hatching chicks in 2021 as a result of storms affecting nesting areas.
Ireland is understood to have 12 breeding pairs of the raptors as of this year.
Following the discovery of the deceased pair in Co Antrim, which were found lying beside each other, a PSNI spokesperson said: “The birds had no obvious signs of injury and suspicions have been raised given the unlikely position where they were found.
“An investigation has now commenced, with a post-mortem examination due to be carried out to determine the cause of death.
“The white-tailed eagle is the UK’s largest native bird of prey, with a vast wing span of up to 2.5 metres, and are an incredibly beautiful species, which makes the discovery of these dead birds very distressing."
The discovery comes after the PSNI launched Operation Subrision, a five-week operation tackling rural and wildlife crime.
It aims to tackle crimes including badger baiting, with officers increasing patrols in rural areas.
Earlier this month, police wildlife officer Emma Meredith said crimes they aimed to tackle include "the illegal killing of birds of prey through poisoning, trapping or shooting".
Following Wednesday's discovery, the PSNI spokesperson added: "We want the public to be reassured, we take all wildlife crime extremely seriously and are committed to investigating all instances of wildlife crime which are reported to police.
“If you have any information that can help with our investigation, please contact police on the non-emergency number 101 and quote 1096 15/05/23.”
