The news that an estate in the Highlands has lost part of its general licence to cull birds after a golden eagle was found dead and poisoned is yet another chapter in the never-ending battle against wildlife crime. Some say it is nearly impossible to win the fight, such is the difficulty in finding the actual perpetrators. Others say it is time to crack down more forcefully and bring an end to killing animals for enjoyment.
But if sporting estates don’t find a way to tackle the illegal persecution of birds and mammals, even if they are not guilty of it themselves, they could face a grim future in which restrictions and public opposition make it difficult to continue their centuries-old country pursuits. In turn, that could pose a threat to rural communities who rely on employment from estates.
I’m not opposed to field sports, I’ve been deer stalking – with a gun and with a camera. I preferred using a camera for my shots as it was the thrill of getting close to the majestic stag which excited me. The actual killing I couldn’t in any way say I enjoyed; there was more a sense of relief in getting a clean shot – the quickest and least traumatic death possible.
Many gamekeepers will say the same thing. They will also point to the fact that we do need to kill red deer in Scotland if we have any chance of keeping the numbers down – without the wolves which once roamed the glens there are no predators and huge numbers of deer are no good for the natural habitats our eco-system relies on. The argument is not about whether to cull but how many, and while I don’t like the idea of killing animals I’m aware it needs to be done.
Then there are the paying clients the gamekeepers, stalkers and ghillies take on to the hills and mountains to stalk and shoot. These clients help keep fragile rural economies surviving – take them away and the estate will see job losses, the local town and village will see a loss of revenue from accommodation, restaurants, pubs, shops, then people will move away to look for work, schools will be under threat with lower numbers etc etc.
Some say the dawning of eco-tourism, re-wilding and other forms of diversification would help replace jobs centred around field sports. Yes, they would, but not the same number of jobs in many cases. A big estate can diversify in a number of ways, keeping job numbers up. A smaller estate may only take on afforestation instead of stalking – once the trees are planted, the position of three former keepers would be replaced with that of possibly one ranger / forester.
But if the deer need culling, surely there will always be a job for a stalker? Not according to an article in Scottish Field which found Forestry and Land Scotland – the Scottish Government agency responsible for more land than anyone – are employing large contractors to carry out culling, with independent, often local, gamekeepers finding it difficult to get the work.
So, we need our estates to thrive, for the economy and for the environment. But while that may be true there is still a large body of public opinion against field sports, and while stories of illegal wildlife persecution continue the pressure to clamp down on them will only grow. Which is why it seems estates have to do some self-policing of their own.
Police Scotland resources are overstretched, other public agencies likewise, meaning there cannot be a continual presence in the glens, looking for wrongdoing. Estates cannot patrol their land constantly either, but they are better placed than anyone to know what is going on.
In the latest case of general licence restriction, the Invercauld Estate, a “neighbour to the Queen” at nearby Balmoral, points out it has not been accused of poisoning the dead golden eagle found on its land last year. While NatureScot, which issues licences, said: “The decision was made on the basis of evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against birds. This evidence included a poisoned golden eagle found on the estate in March 2021, along with a rabbit and a hare carcass, both baited with poison.”
When other estates have had restrictions on the use of general licenses imposed because of evidence of wildlife crime on their land they too have said they are not responsible for any illegality. It has also been claimed that a poisoned bird can fly on to an estate.
While this is all true, it seems that if the estates don’t know, how can anyone else be expected to. Maybe there needs to be some honest behind-the-scenes discussion and activity between estates to come up with a solution to solving the problem.
If they don’t the future of Scotland’s rural estates may be a lot different than many would wish, and harmful to rural communities.
