An emergency plan is being drawn up to save the capercaillie, one of the UK’s most elusive and threatened woodland birds, after its numbers plunged. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said the latest population survey found its estimated population had fallen from roughly 1,114 in 2015/16 to about 542 birds last winter, […]
Tag: scotland
Extinction clock ticking for the capercaillie with less than 500 in the wild, warn experts
Capercaillie numbers have been falling for decades and despite repeated attempts to boost the population it can now only be found in the Highlands. Experts from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) said that when surveys started in 1991, capercaillie numbered approximately 2,200 birds, spread from Argyll and Perthshire to the south and west […]
Gamekeepers and shepherds furious at plan to cull deer and regenerate lost woodlands in the Scottish Highlands
In the Scottish Highlands, a five-year plan to drastically reduce deer numbers and replant devastated woods has generated outrage and protests among gamekeepers and shepherds. The Cairngorms National Park Authority’s recommendations aim to make considerable changes to the park, which is the UK’s largest, with a focus on addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. This […]
According to a new Scottish government bill, hunters will no longer be permitted to deploy packs of dogs to flush out wild animals unless they have a license
According to a new Scottish government bill, hunters will no longer be permitted to deploy packs of dogs to flush out wild creatures unless they have a license. The Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, which made fox hunting illegal, will be replaced by the Hunting with Dogs Bill. Ministers stated that it will […]
More than 150,000 deer set to be culled over next five years
More than 150,000 deer are to be professionally culled across Scotland over the next five years. Forestry and Land Scotland, the Scottish Government agency responsible for managing national forests and land, has released a five-year deer management tender that it says underlines its commitment to improving and enhancing its sustainable management of Scotland’s beautiful scenery. […]
Scottish forests could save red squirrel from extinction
Twenty forest strongholds in Scotland would save the red squirrel from extinction even if grey squirrels were to colonise the whole of Britain, according to research. Since their introduction from North America by Victorian enthusiasts, grey squirrels have pushed red squirrels out of much of the country, with reds outcompeted by the bigger greys and […]
Scottish legal battle begins over licences to shoot beavers
Wildlife campaigners are suing Scotland’s nature conservation agency for allowing farmers to kill wild beavers, arguing that it is in breach of its duties to protect vulnerable species. Trees for Life, a charity that campaigns for rewilding, has accused NatureScot of failing to protect beavers and insists the animals should be humanely trapped and relocated […]
A killer snap! Orca enthusiast captures incredible photo of a rare newborn calf swimming with its mother off the coast of Scotland
A lucky orca enthusiast has captured some incredible photos of a newborn calf swimming with its mother off the coast of Scotland. The orange-tinted baby was accompanied by four older killer whales as it played in the Moray Firth, near Duncansbayhead, Caithness. Wildlife enthusiast Karen Munro, 44, travels around Scotland from her home in Thurso, […]