The National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) has appealed to the public for information after the shooting of a white-tailed eagle at Lough Owel, near Mullingar, Co. Westmeath.

The NPWS has launched an investigation after the bird was recently shot dead.

The two-year old female eagle was part of the NPWS White-Tailed Eagle Reintroduction Programme. It was released in 2022 on the Shannon Estuary.

Investigating NPWS officers have established that the bird was shot, but are awaiting further results of forensic analysis that may provide additional information, the service said.

The NPWS is appealing for any information the public may have in relation to the incident.

As part of the reintroduction programme, white-tailed eagle chicks are fitted with satellite tags to monitor their movement.

Information from the satellite tag for the dead eagle indicates that it died sometime on December 6, the day before Storm Darragh, in the Ballynafid / Portnashangan area at Lough Owel.

Satellite information shows that the eagle was present in the area over the previous weeks, having travelled widely across the country since its release in 2022.

In early 2023, the eagle left north Co. Kerry, and spent time at various locations along the western seaboard.

It also travelled to Co. Donegal and spent a good deal of time flying over and back to counties Antrim, Fermanagh, Cavan and other counties, and was also recorded as being at Lough Ree in the north midlands.

Lately, the bird had come back to Co. Westmeath where it moved between local lakes - Lough Owel, Lough Derravaragh and Lough Ennell.

The NPWS said members of the public with information can contact the service, and that any reports will be treated in confidence.

Under the White-Tailed Eagle Reintroduction Programme, these birds are periodically released in to the wild in Ireland.

In August, four white-tailed eagle chicks were released back into the wild at Killarney National Park in Co. Kerry.

Those chicks were the first of 27 to be released in various locations around the country in the weeks following.

That release marked the second phase of the NPWS programme to reintroduce the species back to Ireland after it went extinct here.