A former gamekeeper at one of Scotland’s best-known grouse moors has been jailed for eight months and banned for owning dogs for 15 years, after using dogs to fight badgers and foxes. Rhys Davies, from Gwynedd, north Wales, admitted earlier this year that he had used five Patterdale terriers for illegal badger and fox-fighting at […]
Tag: Grouse
Why are people poisoning Britain’s sea eagles when they are such a wonderful sight?
A beautiful white-tailed eagle has once again been a familiar sight for those fortunate enough to live in the flight path of eagles recently introduced to the Isle of Wight. Thousands of Britons have witnessed and heard the gigantic two-metre wings beating overhead, as well as the cruel-beaked birds diving for fish in spectacular fashion. […]
Success for hen harrier protection plan in Northumberland
Wildlife experts have hailed a resurgence in hen harrier numbers following a successful protection plan in Northern England. The Northumberland Hen Harrier Protection Partnership has announced that 18 young have fledged from five nests on Forestry England land and two private estates this year. Northumberland continues to be a stronghold for rare hen harriers as […]
POLL: Should the ‘Glorious Twelfth’, which is on the brink after a poor grouse breeding season, be cancelled and permanently banned?
The “Glorious Twelfth” may be effectively cancelled this year, shooting estates have said, as the grouse breeding season has been so poor. Hard frosts while the birds were laying has meant that fewer were born, and some eggs are still yet to hatch. Sleet and cold rain during the hatching season earlier this summer caused […]
New Federal Report Shows 80-Percent Decline in Greater Sage-Grouse Populations
DENVER (March 30, 2021) – “This new science should ring alarm bells whether or not you have heard of sagebrush or the sage-grouse,” said Brian Rutledge, director of the National Audubon Society’s Sagebrush Ecosystem Initiative. “These birds are found across 11 Western states and are a reliable indicator of how other wildlife and the greater […]
Grouse shooting: Majority of Scots opposed as row over sport continues
Almost three quarters of Scots are in opposition to grouse shooting, according to a new survey. The survey, commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, found 71 per cent were opposed to grouse shooting, with only a “pitiful” 12 per cent in favour of the sport. It comes after a review recommended introducing a […]
Activists sue ministers over release of game birds for shooting
Conservationists are suing the UK government over the release of millions of game birds on to land that is home to rare and threatened species. The campaign group Wild Justice has accused ministers of breaching their legal duties to protect sites of high conservation value in England by failing to control the use of large […]
Call for grouse shooting to be licensed amid rise in bird of prey deaths
Labour has called for grouse shooting to be licensed after a big increase in illegal killings of birds of prey during the coronavirus lockdown, the majority of which, investigators say, are linked to the sport. As the grouse shooting season, known as the Glorious 12th, officially began on Wednesday, the shadow environment secretary, Luke Pollard, […]