Culling by grouse moor managers is being blamed for the drastic decline of mountain hares on eastern Scottish moorlands to less than 1% of the level recorded more than 60 years ago. A long-term study by the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and the RSPB analysed counts of the animals on moorland managed for red […]
Tag: culling
POLL: Should crows and foxes be culled to protect ground-nesting birds?
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has been rocked by a furious row over its controversial culling of crows and foxes on its reserves. Outraged members took to social media to say they are resigning over the killings, which are intended to protect the eggs of ground-nesting birds such as curlews. Those complaining […]
Badger cull faces review as bovine TB goes on rising
The government is to review the controversial badger cull as part of an inquiry into its strategy to clamp down on bovine TB. The review raises the possibility that experts conducting it will examine disputed evidence about the cull’s efficacy, potentially paving the way for a change in policy. When the review was announced last […]
POLL: Should the UK finally abandon its controversial badger cull?
Nearly 20,000 badgers were culled this autumn as part of the government’s attempt to reduce bovine TB in cattle, in what critics called the largest destruction of a protected species in living memory. The 19,274 dead badgers is almost twice as many as last year after 11 new cull zones were added to a swath […]
POLL: Should wild boar be culled in order to control the population?
Drew Pratten admits it can be a little unnerving to suddenly come upon a wild boar in the forest. “They are very big. When they growl at you it’s primal. You get the sort of feeling deep in your stomach that you get when you hear a lion roar. But these animals don’t want to […]
POLL: Would you support the reintroduction of the wolf in the UK?
For anyone raised on Grimms’ fairytales – or wary of cows, hostile-looking geese – there have always been certain obvious difficulties with ambitious rewilding campaigns. Reintroducing beavers is one thing. Boars: maybe. But among the more appealing aspects of life in Britain, for the nervous, is the relative certainty of never encountering a wolf pack. […]
Another 1,000 badgers to be killed in Somerset and Gloucestershire
Another 1,000 badgers are set to be killed this autumn and winter in the two UK counties where the controversial cull began four years ago. Natural England confirmed on Wednesday that supplementary culls had been authorised in Gloucestershire and Somerset. The original culls were authorised for four years and critics argue the move to introduce […]
POLL: Should the trophy hunting of bears and wolves be banned?
On August 7, footage surfaced in international media of brown bears “besieging” a Romanian village. The clip shows the animals scavenging for food in trash bins, walking through the town, and running past bewildered pedestrians. Unfortunately, images like these can invoke fear among the public and play very well into the hands of those who […]