Had your poll said "should driven grouse shooting be banned "then that would have addressed the real issue. Driven grouse moors rely on big numbers of grouse for their paying clients to shoot and gamekeepers on these estates make sure that the grouse are given every opportunity to achieve this. This entails trapping and killing ground predators like stoats etc. Sadly it also means that animals that carry ticks which adversely affect grouse are culled. This means that mountain hares and red deer,symbols of the Scottish highlands ,are eradicated.This practice is commonplace and does nothing to enhance our natural biodiversity. It is entirely selfish and done purely so that the privileged few have their "sport". This leaves one problem and that is birds of prey. Historically our eagles and hen harriers have fallen to the gun,trap and poison on these particular estates. Raptor numbers are low or non existent on driven grouse moors even though the habitat is ideal for them.Nature tourism is booming in Scotland and it is a disgrace that mal practice on these estates deprive us all of potentially seeing a soaring eagle or our monarch of the glen.It is a real shame that these people try to dupe the public into thinking that they are the guardians of the countryside. Scratch the surface of their argument and you will see the horrible truth.
Had your poll said "should driven grouse shooting be banned "then that would have addressed the real issue. Driven grouse moors rely on big numbers of grouse for their paying clients to shoot and gamekeepers on these estates make sure that the grouse are given every opportunity to achieve this. This entails trapping and killing ground predators like stoats etc. Sadly it also means that animals that carry ticks which adversely affect grouse are culled. This means that mountain hares and red deer,symbols of the Scottish highlands ,are eradicated.This practice is commonplace and does nothing to enhance our natural biodiversity. It is entirely selfish and done purely so that the privileged few have their "sport". This leaves one problem and that is birds of prey. Historically our eagles and hen harriers have fallen to the gun,trap and poison on these particular estates. Raptor numbers are low or non existent on driven grouse moors even though the habitat is ideal for them.Nature tourism is booming in Scotland and it is a disgrace that mal practice on these estates deprive us all of potentially seeing a soaring eagle or our monarch of the glen.It is a real shame that these people try to dupe the public into thinking that they are the guardians of the countryside. Scratch the surface of their argument and you will see the horrible truth.