REPORTS of dogs being attacked and lifted by eagles were confirmed by an RSPB official this week.
The two instances – one on the Western Isles and one near Inverness – resulted in the deaths of dogs, after attacks that have been described as "something eagles are capable of, but that are not instances that will occur on a regular basis," by RSPB conservation officer, Robin Reid.
Mr Reid explained: "Small dogs are potentially the prey size of both species of eagle. The will take foxes on the mainland, and they are dog-sized.
"However, you're lucky if an eagle will come within 200 metres of a human, so these kinds of attacks will never be something that takes place regularly," he insisted.
"I was aware of the incident on Uist, but I wouldn't want to comment on the detail of the case."
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