A 'BRAZEN' act of wildlife crime that saw a female goosander killed and her eggs taken from a nature reserve is being investigated by police.

The bird suffered injuries 'consistent with it being shot' in the incident at Haweswater. 

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward. 

PC Samantha O'Key, wildlife, rural and environmental crime coordinator at Cumbria Constabulary, said: “This is an extremely distressing incident for all of those individuals that dedicate their time to protecting our wild birds."

Lee Schofield, senior site manager at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, which runs the reserve, said the reserve team had been 'deeply shocked' by the attack.

"That such a wildlife crime could take place in the middle of a nature reserve and so close to a property shows how brazen wildlife criminals are, and the risks they are prepared to take to carry out their deplorable acts," he said.

Police today launched an appeal about the incident, which occurred on May 24. There were no signs of natural predation at the nest site.

Contact 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 with information, quoting incident 141 of June 30, 2021. 

Alternatively, report information online at cumbria.police.uk/reportit