Seven crimes against birds of prey were recorded in Tayside last year more than any in any other part of the country.
The Scottish Government’s second annual wildlife crime report revealed that Police Scotland recorded 319 wildlife crimes in 2012-2013, up from 307 the previous year.
A total of seven raptors in Tayside were poisoned, shot or had their nests destroyed. Among the birds poisoned was the golden eagle ‘Fearnan’, which was killed at Glen Lethnot in Angus last November.
Three buzzards were poisoned and another one shot.
The nest of a white-tailed eagle which was reintroduced to Scotland in the 1970s and 1980s after being hunted to extinction in the UK was also destroyed in Tayside last year.
The figures do not include the spate of raptor poisonings in Aberdeenshire this year.
For the year 2012-13, there were 32 recorded wildlife crimes in Tayside, 60 in the former Central Scotland policing area and nine in Fife.
Poaching crimes involving fish, deer and coursing were the most common, with more than 40% of all recorded wildlife offences in Scotland relating to salmon and freshwater fisheries.
In the courts, 75 people were prosecuted for wildlife crime over the year, with 55 convicted.
Environment and Climate Change Minister and chairman of the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland, Paul Wheelhouse said: “While poaching is the most commonly recorded offence, crimes against our beautiful birds of prey and pearl mussels remain the most serious in terms of damage to Scotland’s natural environment and our reputation.
“Though the numbers involved are relatively small, there is absolutely no room for complacency.
“Tackling wildlife crime is not just about law enforcement. We must continue to work with stakeholders to raise awareness and therefore ensure prevention, so that these crimes decrease and stop.”
He added: “Actions taken by the Scottish Government in 2013 and into 2014 have demonstrated the level of seriousness that this area of crime elicits.”