Fallen trees concern the eagle chief and the environment minister: 'It’s a catastrophe for them'

A neighbor of a nest recently discovered that a beech tree in the forest on the outskirts of Skælskør had been illegally felled with a chainsaw.

The tree housed a large nest that a pair of white-tailed eagles was likely preparing to lay eggs in during the breeding season—but they have had to find other treetops for expanding their family.

This is what Kim Skelmose from the Danish Ornithological Society (DOF) tells us, where he works as leader of Project Eagle.

*"Everything suggests a deliberate felling of the nesting tree, just as the female was ready to lay eggs,"* says Kim Skelmose.

*"In fact, it’s like being made homeless in five minutes—it’s a catastrophe for them,"* he adds.

The eagle expert hopes they can manage to build a new one. It takes around 7-10 days for a pair of eagles to construct a new nest.

The felling has now been reported to the police. The ornithological society suspects that it was done intentionally, and that someone is targeting these protected birds of prey. At the same time, the society fears a resurgence in attacks against wild, protected raptors.

*"Everything suggests a deliberate felling of the nesting tree, just as the female was ready to lay eggs,"* says Kim Skelmose.

This young white-tailed eagle was found dead in March 2025, and a post-mortem report in December confirmed it had been poisoned. *(Photo: © Marianne Krag Petersen / DOF BirdLife.)*

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**Environment Minister: Under Scrutiny**

Danish birds of prey have repeatedly been subjected to attacks.

Between 2016 and 2020, there were many reported cases of poisoning among Danish raptors. Since 2021, no such cases have been registered, but just last year, two white-tailed eagles and a marsh harrier were found to have been poisoned after being examined post-mortem.

Now, it appears that new methods are being used. The case of the eagle’s nest—illegal to fell under the Hunting and Wildlife Management Act—is currently under investigation by the police, so it remains unclear exactly what happened and who may be behind the crimes.

However, the incident has sparked outrage in the comment sections of the Danish Ornithological Society’s social media, and there is broad public support for ensuring that white-tailed eagles have a place in Danish nature, according to Michael Skelmose.

*"We have strong public backing because people love these birds, and they won’t accept self-appointed nature managers acting with impunity,"* he says.

*"This is completely unacceptable and, moreover, illegal,"* writes Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke (Social Democrats) in a written statement to DR.

Heunicke also recalls that a political majority last year expanded the options for prosecuting so-called wildlife crime—that is, crimes committed against wild animals and their habitats. Among other things, fines have been increased, and it has become easier to revoke hunting licenses, as well as to impose prison sentences in the most severe cases.

White-tailed eagles have a wingspan of between 200-245 centimeters and are the largest eagle species in Europe. *(Photo: © Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix)*

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**Many Cases Go Unresolved**

Since 2008, the Danish Ornithological Society has documented 41 cases of poisoned birds, resulting in 69 deaths. Only two cases involving the use of poison in wildlife crime have proceeded to trial.

The most recent case was settled in 2025, when a man was sentenced to a conditional prison term of 40 days for poisoning two bitterns four years earlier with the banned nerve agent carbofuran.

The Danish Ornithological Society hopes that a new police unit focused on wildlife crime—planned for establishment this year—will be able to clarify more cases than before, as currently, there are no consequences, according to eagle expert Kim Skelmose.

*"When someone goes out and deliberately decides to act with impunity, they might assume they can get away with it because the police lack the resources to pursue these cases,"* he says.

Kim Skelmose is, however, pleased that the white-tailed eagle population in Denmark is generally healthy, with an estimated 180 breeding pairs in the country.

The many cases of poisoned birds of prey over the years remain a mystery, which several have attempted to solve, including journalist and bird enthusiast Zissel Kjertum-Mohr and former homicide chief Jens Møller Jensen in this documentary series.

**Documentary | 1 SEASON: The Eagle Poisoners** *(Link: https://www.dr.dk/drtv/serie/oernedraeberne_347010)*

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