POISONED

Red kite died 'in agony' after being given deadly pesticide

- LYNN LOVE

A DEADLY poison that can kill a human with just a quarter teaspoonfull ended the life of a protected red kite on a Highland estate.

Wildlife investigators say the bird would have died an agonising death after eating the deadly substance carbofuran, a banned pesticide.

The poison has a grim history of being used to kill birds of prey while also posing a deadly danger to people, pets and other wildlife.

Endangered red kites are fully protected by law, meaning people caught killing or harming them can be sent to jail.

RSPB Scotland received a call in April this year from a dog walker who had found a red kite dead near a woodland trail at Spinningdale, near Dornoch.