An opinion piece for the New Statesman today, discussing the Scottish Government’s quick reaction to the peverse trophy-hunting of goats and its less-than-quick reaction to the equally peverse trophy-hunting of driven red grouse.
Article available here
Raptor Persecution UK 
Could not have put it better myself! Excellent article Ruth.
Yes beautifully written Ruth, a brilliant point well made.
Did you personally write the rubbish in the first two paragraphs of the piece, or did you draft in a Daily Mail journo to do it for you?
The rest of the content appears to be more like your usual style, but that opening is awful, if you don’t mind me saying.
Anyway, it should come as no shock for an MSP to jump on a bandwagon for perceived political gain, but I anticipate the reality is that nothing will change once this debacle has been forgotten in a week or so.
Today’s news, tomorrow’s chip wrapper. I recall Nicola Sturgeon doing similar on the issue of mountain hare culling and expect no change there either.
The article isn’t actually that bad, certainly got you rattled. One thing you can be sure of, this isn’t going to go away any time soon.
This gives me a little hope. Until supporting maniacs with guns becomes a vote-loser, we’re only going to have a limited effect on wildlife slaughter. If riding the wave of disgust caused by trophy hunters is the best route into mainstream consciousness, then great!
PS On appealing to the uncommitted, pole traps score a lot more angry clicks than other dead raptors, according to the reaction on ‘Springwatch Fans’ fb group.
Echo the above comments.
The only reason that this woman has gained so much notoriety, and got Sturgeon’s attention, is because of her posing for that photograph with that huge, dumb smile on her face, and putting it out on social media. Why is it that the vast majority that pose for those awful photographs are American?
I suspect it’s significant that this follows photos of ‘big game’ shooters in Africa, which many found objectionable.
I hope a good number of MSPs have read this blog article and the New Statesman piece.
Truly excellent. All true.
The comparison is most appropriate as well as illuminating.
I don’t approve of people paying to hunt wildlife, but the culling goats and deer, which don’t have any natural predators, may be needed. However, culling crows, ravens and even mountain hares, to keep the numbers of red grouse artificially high to be shot at is wicked. End it now!
Absolutely right! Dressed to kill as seen on Channel 4 news 25/10/18. How does anyone looking like that and holding a large rifle expect to be taken seriously as a normal tourist enjoying the scenery!
Well done Ruth….I would have added something about the grouse being shot at with shotguns so many are left crippled and carrying dangerous levels of toxic lead…the public are not always aware of the obvious….not a criticism by any means…
Thanks, Dave. Unfortunately they gave me a strict word limit so plenty more that could have been said that wasn’t. Ah well….it’s all in the new report for the Revive Coalition, to be published early Nov.
I am applauding your work, Ruth.
but I would like to go back to the Goat vs turd story. Behind the turd’s visit to Islay there must have been a landowner who thought He/she had found another lucrative income stream. (think again indeed.) Keeping goat numbers within reasonable limits is not so bad in the absence of proper predators, it is the posing and glorifying the kill that is obscene. I’d like to know who is the land owner/manager who set up the ‘hunt’. And as someone who scrambled on the cliffs of the Mull of Oa as a fifteen year old I would like to know how serious accidents are avoided?
It probably won’t be long before someone markets the idea that we can do away with abattoirs altogether and just drive the cattle, sheep and pigs into a big field and allow perverts to pay hundreds of pounds to shoot them dead instead.
With every year that passes I get more disgusted by all forms of ‘hunting’.
A girl looking very similar to the one posing with a dead goat featured on a facebook protest against trophy hunting. On that photo she was posing with a dead giraffe that she had so bravely slaughtered with a big gun. So brave? So stupid!
Sad Doug
I’m so happy,that there is somebody with the know how & have the decency to protect the natural world,well done for your kindness.
The young woman, Larysa Switlyk, is a self publicist promoting her hunting prowess. She travels the world shooting anything that moves. Rare and magnificent, grazers or predators all fall to her gun or bow.
Quoted from the Telegraph:
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has now condemned her behaviour which does not fall in line with its social media policy for hunters.
BASC’s policy advises hunters to “consider whether it is appropriate to feature dead animals / birds / blood.”
Even the BASC are proving a little queasy about posing with dead animals, birds or blood. They don’t like it when the reality of blood sports are shown for what they are.
Doug
Great to see that the BASC is taking its lead from our First Minister in condemning someone legally shooting a ferel goat! Look forward to reading their condemnation of people illegally trapping, poisoning and shooting endangered raptors.
Ps does anyone remember seeing the BASC condemning photos of gunmen with hundreds (thousands?) of dead mountain hares, or has anyone seen them condemn the photos on the internet or internet of hunters with dead pheasant, duck etc etc?