Security Guard Arrested in Toledo for Shooting an Iberian Imperial Eagle

Officers from the Civil Guard's Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA) have arrested a security guard in Toledo for shooting dead an Iberian imperial eagle (Aquila adalberti), one of the most threatened species on the peninsula.

Investigations began last February following the discovery of a dead eagle on an estate in the La Mancha region of Toledo, which is part of the Castilla-La Mancha Protected Areas Network. This area is of special ecological significance for wildlife dispersal and includes Special Protection Areas for Birds (ZEPA) and Sites of Community Importance (LIC) integrated into the Natura 2000 Network, which requires special conservation and recovery measures for endangered species.

After several months of investigation, SEPRONA agents determined that the shooter was a rural guard responsible for surveillance in a hunting reserve.

The arrested individual now faces a prison sentence of up to two years, as well as disqualification from his profession, hunting or fishing, and the loss of the right to possess and carry weapons for up to four years.

The Iberian imperial eagle is listed in both the Spanish Catalogue and the Regional Catalogue of Endangered Species of Castilla-La Mancha, classified as "endangered" due to its small population and high risk of extinction in the short to medium term.