BBC Wildlife - UK (2020-09)

1850sManagementfor

grouseshootingbegins.

Bythe1880s,largeareas

oflandweredevotedto

thefieldsport.

1950sBirdsofprey

showdramaticdeclines,

duetopredatorcontrolfor

grousemoormanagement,

habitatlossandpesticide

use.Theybecomelegally

protectedin1954.

1970sGrousenumbers

decline.Inresponse,large

areasofmoorlandaresold

otoforestry.

1980sProtectionfor

birdsofpreystrengthened

bytheintroductionofthe

WildlifeandCountryside

Act,1981.

1990sTheJoint

RaptorStudyreports

thathenharrier(below)

populationscouldreach

levelsthatwouldmake

grouseshootingunviable.

2008 TheLangholm

MoorDemonstration

Projectislaunchedas

a partnershipbetween

conservationandshooting

interests,testingwhethera

drivengrousemoorcould

beviablewithfavourable

populationsofhenharriers.

2011 A government-

commissionedreport,the

HenHarrierConservation

Framework,showshen

TIMELINE

Key events in the driven

grouse shooting debate.

BBC Wildlife 53

GROUSE MOORS

Whyaremountainhares

controlledongrousemoors?

Themountainhareis anupland

species,preferringtherollingpurple

hillsofmoorland.Here,it cangraze

onthedominantvegetation– heather,

grasses,andyoungtrees– while

takingadvantageoftheavailable

shelter.Haressharethislandscape

withtheredgrouse,a ground-nesting

birdthatalsoreapsthebenefitsofa

variablemoorlandhabitat.

Theuplandsaremanagedto

supporta varietyofhuntingand

sportinginterests.Mountainhares

arethemselvesa quarryspeciesand

havebeenlegallyhuntedforsport

sincethe19thcentury,alongside

grouse.Drivengrouseshooting

involvesa lineof‘beaters’that

advanceacrossa moor,flushingout

grouseanddirectingthemovera row

ofgunmen.Thevolumeofbirdsshot,

andsizeoftheshootingparties,make

it quiteuniqueincomparisonto

other field sports, where fewer game

are hunted by smaller groups. To

remain economically viable, shooting

estates – the majority of which are

privatelyownedandmanagedby

gamekeepers– mustcultivatethe

landtosupportabundantpopulations

ofgrouse.

Theroutinecullingofmountain

haresis onesuchmanagement

practice.Therearea fewreasons

citedforthis,includingtheprotection

ofyoungtreesandplants– which

haresaresaidtodecimatewhenin

highdensities.However,themost

widelydiscussedis preventionofthe

tick-bornediseaseLoupingIllVirus

(LIV),whichis fataltogrouse.Ticks

areparasitesthatliveontheblood

ofothersandsoneeda livehostto

survive.Theycantransmitallkinds

ofnasties,includingLymedisease,

whichhumanscancontract.There

is someevidencetosuggestthat

mountainharesare‘reservoirs’for

LIV– inotherwords,important

hostsforticks.Underthislogic,

highdensitiesofmountainhares

meana greaterprevalenceofLIV

in the environment, which could

spell trouble for grouse numbers.

The science supporting this

conclusion is relatively limited,

Large areas of moorland

are managed to maximise

the red grouse population

available for shooting.

Left to right: Getty; Fergus Gill/2020VISION/NPL; Ben Hall/2020VISION/NPL; Mark Hamblin/2020VISION/NPL

A line of ‘beaters’ advance across

the moor, ushing our grouse and

directing them over gunmen.

“There has been no
requirement to report on
or justify any killing,
despite the fragile nature
of Scotland’s mountain
hare population and the
welfare consequences of
shooting a small,
fast-moving animal as
part of wildlife
‘management’ or for
recreational hunting.
OneKind supports the
amendment, but we will
watch to ensure that any
authorised licensed
killing, if it is actually
warranted, is based on
evidence and ethics.”

Eve

Massie

POINTS OF VIEW

Campaignsandpressofficer

for OneKind