Just a reminder that there will be a protest rally outside the Scottish Parliament building tomorrow, against the continued slaughter of mountain hares on Scottish grouse moors.
As many of you will know, tens of thousands of mountain hares are massacred on Scottish grouse moors, including inside the Cairngorms National Park. These killing sprees are unmonitored, unregulated and uncontrolled (see here for plenty of background information).
The rally will take place between 12-2pm and there will be various speakers including Alison Johnstone MSP, David Stewart MSP and Harry Huyton (Director of charity OneKind, the event organisers) – further details here.
The gamekeeping community is agitated about this protest rally. Last week the Scottish Gamekeepers’ Association tried to deflect attention from their hare killing sprees by drawing attention to other mountain hare culls that take place during the closed season, licensed by SNH, for the purpose of protecting forestry (see here). What the SGA actually achieved by publishing this was a massive own goal – hilariously explained in this OneKind blog here.
Not to be deterred, this week the SGA has sent a briefing note to all MSPs, ahead of the protest rally, trying to explain that the killing of tens of thousands of hares on grouse moors is for the hares’ own good. They also claim that all those dead mountain hares are destined for the human food market.
Here’s a pile of shot mountain hares that didn’t make it to the human food market. They were dumped in a stink pit on an Angus Glens grouse moor. Surrounded by a circle of snares, the odour of rotting hare flesh would have attracted predators, which were likely snared and killed, their bodies probably added to the stink pit.
If you’re disgusted by this, and think the Scottish Government is failing in its duty to protect this species, please try and get to the rally tomorrow and let MSPs know this matters to you.
Raptor Persecution UK 
If you see any of the keepers pals taking photos of the people taking part in the demo… take a photo of them and post on Facebook. No names please…. that is important!
an excellent idea.
Apparently someone from SLE was snooping about.
Any photos?
I don’t know I just heard one of the organisers I believe mention they were there. About 7 years ago at a parliamentary meeting against incinerators we actually had someone from a waste to fuel company sitting in with us – he left when it was pointed out who he was.
I’m old enough to recall when other threats to forestry were legally and plentifully killed to protect young trees. These species included Capercaillie, Black Grouse, Red Squirrels and Brown Hares.
Thank goodness that had no negative effect on their populations- or did it?
Are you all aware of this?….the good old days?…102,000 killed. Thats what happens when there’s no protection…and now we see the crocodile tears from keepers when they tell us about buzzards eating red squirrels..http://www.highland-news.co.uk/Home/Reds-had-to-battle-after-bounty-hunt-6370043.htm
Please write to your MP/MSP to give biodiversity’s and the Raptors’ side of the argument.
A great shame that homo sapiens sticks his oar in again, long live the mountain hare
at the age of 71 yrs I have felt it was impossible not to become and Hunt Sab . not enough people love our wildlife enough and the consequence will be that we have none left.
I too have realised what the “Hunt Sabs” were all about. As one proceeds along in life one realises more and more the value of nature, not the monetary value as some see it but the mental health-benefits value that nature always instills in one – if one is prepared to allow it.
I’m just back from the demo, it was excellent. Alison Johnstone spoke very well indeed and saw other green MSPs there – Andy Wightman, Ross Greer and Mark Russell. Andrea Hudspeth gave a good account of how bad the grouse moors are ecologically and for BOPs in particular. Harry Button stressed what needs to be ramned down peoples’ throats until they finally understand, 12 to 15% of Scotland is covered by grouse moors, massive chunk of this country which is supposedly too small for significant Rewilding. Roseanna Cunningham showed face, but put the emphasis on protestors coming up with evidence for mass culling. Labour MSP also spoke and there were a few others I couldn’t, place. One kind provided a knitted mountain hare as a reminder for every MSP. Good effort and enjoyable event.
Utterly disgusting