Farmers have called for a government investigation amid fears that sea eagles are snatching ponies from an island herd.
Veteran crofter Donald John Cameron raised the alarm after five Shetland pony foals vanished from his herd on South Uist over a nine-week period earlier this year.
He points to the giant birds of prey, which have a wingspan of 8ft and often circle his flocks, as the most likely culprits.
Cameron said: ‘They're not dissolving into thin air. We have had Shetland ponies for 60 years-plus, and nothing like this has happened before. The only difference in the last few years is that we have a bigger presence of white-tailed eagles.’
The huge raptors were reintroduced to Scotland in 1975, 60 years after they were declared extinct. But while their return was initially hailed as a victory for conservationists, the eagles quickly begun to wreak havoc on Scottish farms.
