CULL OF THE WILD
Cal Flyn questions the controversial raven cull
E arlier this year, Scottish Natural Heritage came under intense fire after news broke that it had granted a license to the Perthshire-based Strathbraan Community Collaboration for Waders to conduct an experimental cull of up to 69 ravens a year for five years.
The intention, noted SNH, is to study whether controlling the numbers of predatory ravens might help the recovery of wading bird species, including the curlew, which has seen its population plummet over recent decades. But the RSPB, the Scottish animal rights charity One Kind and the television presenter Chris Packham (who described it as an ‘ill-judged and ruinous decision’) were quick to criticize he granting of the license. Duncan Orr-Ewing, RSPB Scotland's head of species and land management, slammed the SNH’s decision, describing the application as a ‘transparent’ ruse by local sporting estates to kill off ravens, who predate on the eggs and chicks of red grouse. to them, alleges Orr-Ewing, any impact on curlews is only a happy by-product. This is staunchly denied by the applicants, an alliance of local farmers and gamekeepers who say they have witnessed eggs numbering 'flocks at over 30, breeding of picking juvenile off ravens, wader time'. But the regon in question, bounded to the west chicks sometimes and by expanses four Loch suspicious Tay of grouse and disappearances the moor A9 to and the has east, of been satellite-tagged includes the site large of (and legally protected) eagles in recent years. In a statement, SNH said: ‘We are clear that this trial to save waders is not connected to any local crime,’ adding that information gathered during the trial would be ‘made available to others working to save these endangered birds.' Culls are always an emotive subject, and this case is no exception. Thoulh hard unique — SNH has issued 439 licenses permitting the cull of up Ito 3,300 of the birds in the last two years — the granting of the Strathbraan license has resulted in a public outcry. Two petitions demanding the retraction of the license have gathered 300,000 signatures, and the Scottish Raptor Study Group has crowdfunded £26,000 towards the costs of a court challenge. Feelings have run so high that a man has been arrested and issued with a formal warning after sending death threats to SNH chairman Dr Mike Cantlay. The issue of predator control — of prioritising one species over another, with deadly consequences — is a morally complex one. For one thing, the effectiveness of culls upon the prey Species (like curlews) are also difficult to predict. I
A rat eradication project on the island of Canna. for example, did not lead to expected recovery of seabird populations; but a 17-year programme to eradicate American mink from the Outer Hebrides has, SNH reports, seen seabirds 'flocking back' to their former colonies. This is why the Strathbraan license is described as for 'research': no one is sure] whether it will have the desired effect. Different pressure groups prioritise different animals. Ravens themselves are a protected species, having been persecuted to extinction in most parts of the UK in the early 20th century. Elsewhere, the slowly rebounding population of pine martens - which number around 3,700 in Scotland and have been under legal protection since 1988 - has been greeted by delight in some quarters (including among red squirrel enthusiasts as the martens predate upon their grey rivals) but dismay in others. The Scottish Gamekeeper's Association has called for pine martens to be controlled in the Rothiemurchus area, so as to protect dwindling capercaillie populations. And priorities can change enormously over time. In the early 20th century, it was the red squirrel that was considered 'a devastating menace' and culled — around 60,000 were killed by the o-called 'Hi: hland uirrel Club' over 16 an So what should we do, if we want to help the curlew s it wrong to meddle, to kill in the name of conservation s it wrong to play od Author and save-the-curlew campaigner ary Colwell disagrees. 'I don't think that's a lid argument,' she tells me. 'We've played God alread .' There's ve little tru 'natural' habitat anywhere anymore, she points out Iso natural processes can go out of whack n the past, the control of predators like crows and foxes by farmers was far more widespread, she argues So now there is greater risk for birds like the curlew, which eschew wildlife reserves for the tussocky rough ground found on moorlanc and upland farms n some areas, predation is so high that 00 of eggs and chicks are killed resulting in a 6 fall in the K population since
‘The issue of prioritising one species over another is a morally complex one
the 1970s. As a result, they do better on moorland being ‘managed’ for grouse. Her recent book Curlew
Moon notes that nesting density on managed moors is around double that of other moors, while nesting success is around three times as high.
Still, she adds, the killing of ravens is always distressing. ‘Do I feel uncomfortable about it? Yes. Nothing about predator control makes me feel comfortable.’ Ravens, she says, are ‘wonderful, intelligent, fascinating birds’ and the decision to go ahead with any cull must be carefully weighed and considered on a case by case basis.
That is, says Colwell, where local knowledge comes in: often the troublesome predator will make itself known by the traces its leaves in the nest. Foxes, and sometimes ravens, are big enough to carry away eggs whole, while crows must peck holes in the eggs and drain them where they lie. ‘Any predator control has to be taken very seriously and done by professionals. It has to be targeted on the species you know is causing a problem; it has to be localised around the nesting sites; and it has to be proportionate. It doesn’t give you carte blanche to go and kill everything in the area.’
Colwell knows that not everyone will agree with her. Those keen to debate the value of predator control, or learn more about curlew conservation in general, may be interested in attending her one-day Scottish Curlew Conference on 27 September, at Battleby House in Perth (free; 10am - 4:30pm).
For now, the land managers of Strathbraan are claiming success. Local gamekeeper Ronnie Kippen, whose ground falls within the area licensed to cull ravens, reported á definite upsurge' in waders. 'We have barely seen a pair of curlew without chicks,’ he added. ‘I think we would be very surprised if we did not see high numbers return from the wintering ground next year given the sheer amount of chicks we have put away successfully this year.’
The results are anecdotal for now – and will be hotly contested by their opponents. But for those focused upon the survival of the curlew, any cause for hope is gratefully received, no matter the source.