Majestic raptors return to Exmoor as government backs eagle reintroduction

White-tailed eagles, Britain’s biggest raptors, are set to return to Exmoor National Park after the government approved a controversial reintroduction scheme. Up to 20 of the majestic raptors will be introduced into the Devon and Somerset moorland over the next three years, beginning this summer, marking a significant milestone in attempts to reestablish the species to areas where it previously flourished. Natural England gave approval on Wednesday, despite mounting concerns from farmers who fear the predators could decimate sheep flocks. The birds, which boast wingspans of up to 2.4 metres and were driven to extinction in Britain by 1918, have already started naturally spreading into southern England following their reintroduction to the Isle of Wight seven years earlier.

The comeback of Britain’s largest predator

White-tailed eagles, known colloquially as “flying barn doors” owing to their expansive, striking wings, were formerly widespread across Britain and Ireland. However, loss of habitat and sustained human hunting led to their total disappearance in the UK by 1918. The species had been systematically hunted and expelled from its native territories for centuries, leaving no evidence of these magnificent birds in UK airspace for generations. Their disappearance marked a significant loss to the nation’s natural heritage and represented the broader environmental damage caused throughout the period of industrialisation.

The reintroduction efforts began in earnest in 1975 when conservationists set free white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Rum in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides, marking the opening move to restore the species to British shores. This groundbreaking project has since grown to multiple locations across the UK, with the birds gradually reclaiming territories they had forfeited centuries earlier. The Exmoor reintroduction marks the most recent phase in this long-term conservation project, developing the accomplishments gained in Scotland and along the southern coast. All introduced eagles will be equipped with satellite positioning equipment, allowing researchers to observe their movements and examine their conservation significance on the landscape.

• White-tailed eagles have wingspans reaching up to 2.4 metres in span
• The species was entirely absent in Britain for more than 100 years
• The species has naturally returned from the Isle of Wight toward the south
• Satellite tags will track each bird’s movements and behavioural activity

Farming communities raise significant animal welfare worries

The government’s endorsement of the Exmoor reintroduction scheme has triggered significant concern amongst agricultural communities, who fear the impressive hunters will wreak havoc on their livestock. Whilst Natural England has assured stakeholders that the project will be “carefully planned” in conjunction with local landowners, many farmers remain highly doubtful about the viability of coexisting with such formidable hunters. The concerns focus on the eagles’ demonstrated capacity to seize young sheep and other vulnerable animals, with some farmers already bracing themselves for substantial economic losses. The debate reflects a wider conflict between environmental goals and the practical realities of agricultural production in rural Britain.

Ali Hawkins, lead ecologist with Exmoor National Park Authority, has emphasised the commitment to working with farming communities to help them adapt to the presence of eagles. However, the historical precedent from Scotland indicates this may prove challenging. Farmers in the area where eagles were introduced decades ago continue to report significant losses, raising legitimate questions about whether comparable management approaches will be effective on Exmoor. The introduction of approximately 20 birds over a three-year period will necessarily challenge the resilience of local farming operations and the government’s ability to balance conservation with agricultural interests.

Scottish experience triggers concern

Scotland’s experience with white-tailed eagles offers a warning example for Exmoor farmers. Ricky Rennie, a fourth-generation farming operator at Garvachy Farm in Argyll, has been contending with the effects of the predators since 2018. His losses have been substantial and escalating, with 2024 proving especially damaging. In that year alone, Rennie reckons he lost roughly two-thirds of his lambs to the eagles, amounting to annual losses surpassing £30,000. His testimony highlights the significant financial strain that reintroduction can place on individual farming operations, especially those dependent on sheep production.

Rennie’s cautions to Exmoor farmers have been unequivocal—they should resist the reintroduction plans “tooth and nail” whilst they retain the opportunity to stop the scheme. Unlike organic recolonisation, which farmers struggle to combat, an sanctioned reintroduction scheme remains in their capacity to challenge. The Scottish farmer’s perspective reflects the concern of agricultural communities who feel their livelihoods are sacrificed for broader conservation goals. His message resonates particularly strongly given that Scottish eagles have already begun naturally expanding southwards, suggesting that some degree of recolonisation may be unavoidable regardless of official reintroduction efforts.

• Scottish farmer estimates annual losses of up to £30,000 to eagle attacks
• 2024 saw roughly two-thirds of one farm’s lamb flock lost to eagles
• Farmers urge Exmoor residents to actively resist the reintroduction scheme

Monitoring and mitigation strategies in place

In response to the concerns raised by farming communities, Natural England and the project team have implemented extensive oversight procedures created to observe the eagles’ behavior and influence on local livestock. Every bird released across Exmoor will be outfitted with satellite tags, enabling immediate location monitoring and detailed behavioural analysis. This digital strategy allows researchers to identify problem individuals and determine predation patterns as they emerge. The findings obtained will inform adaptive management strategies, possibly allowing intervention before substantial livestock losses accumulate. The project team, led by Forestry England and the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, is committed to maintaining continuous oversight throughout the three-year release initiative and beyond.

Beyond monitoring systems, the reintroduction scheme includes additional safeguards designed to minimise conflict between conservation goals and farming activities. Project teams will collaborate closely with neighbouring farmers to create specific mitigation strategies, which may include enhanced livestock management practices and compensation schemes for verified predation losses. The joint approach emphasises early intervention and adaptive management, enabling the project to act quickly if particular areas or farms suffer excessive eagle predation. However, the success of these measures remains untested on Exmoor, creating significant uncertainty about whether they will prove sufficient to address the extent of losses experienced in Scotland.

Cooperative approach with stakeholders

Ali Hawkins, lead ecologist with Exmoor National Park Authority, has stressed the project’s dedication to collaborating alongside farmers and other local stakeholders. The collaborative framework aims to support communities in adapting to the eagles’ presence, though the details of such assistance remain rather unclear. Natural England’s approval comes with assurances that the reintroduction will be “carefully planned” in conjunction with landowners, yet farmers have voiced concerns about whether such partnerships can adequately protect their interests. The effectiveness of such partnership methods will likely shape whether Exmoor’s experience reflects Scotland’s troubled past or takes a different direction.

A animal brought back after hundreds of years of disappearance

White-tailed eagles, Britain’s largest birds of prey, were once widespread across the UK and Ireland before becoming extinct by 1918. Environmental degradation and sustained human hunting drove these magnificent raptors to extinction, their wide wings—which earned them the nickname “flying barn doors”—no longer casting shadows over Britain for over half a century. The bird’s disappearance marked a major depletion to the nation’s ecological legacy, representing the broader ecological damage inflicted during the period of industrialisation.

The extended process of restoration started in 1975 when conservation experts established the inaugural reintroduction programme on the Isle of Rum in Scotland’s Inner Hebrides. Since then, various programmes have progressively extended the range of eagles across the UK, with the birds organically establishing themselves in new territories as their populations increased. The Exmoor release represents the newest development in this long-running conservation initiative, expanding upon the groundwork established by preceding initiatives and demonstrating present-day Britain’s dedication to ecological restoration and rewilding.

• White-tailed eagles disappeared in Britain by 1918 as a result of persecution and habitat loss
• The initial reintroduction started in 1975 on island in Scotland of Rum in Inner Hebrides
• Birds have naturally expanded territories across the southern coast from Isle of Wight releases
• Wingspan extends to 2.4 metres, making them the largest bird of prey in the UK bird of prey
• Exmoor release maintains three-decade conservation programme to reestablish the species across the country