Shooting Times & Country Magazine
Angus Glens gamekeepers report spate of vandalism
Gamekeepers and farmers in the Angus Glens are on alert after suffering a spate of burglaries and property damage in recent weeks.
Several estates in the typically peaceful area have been broken into during daylight hours, with a welder, generator and power saw among the items taken.
“You don’t expect these kinds of things to be happening so far up the glen,” said farmer Mike Littlejohn, who reported a burglary to the police last month. “It seems estates in the area are being targeted and it is important for everyone to stay vigilant and to make sure everything is kept secure at all times.”
The thefts come shortly after a number of legal predator control traps were vandalised on local moors. Gamekeeper Ali Brown of the Angus Glens Moorland Group has suffered damage to traps on his ground, as well as the theft of machinery. He believes that the perpetrators must be from the area. “It is quite sickening and worrying for people. Whenever we see trap damage now, we photograph it and send it straight to the police. That is an ongoing thing and I think a lot of that type of damage is due to people being ignorant of what these devices are used for in the countryside and having little respect for people’s property. In terms of the thefts, they are happening up single-track roads so it looks as if these people have local knowledge.”
As reported in last week’s issue, crime in the countryside is on the rise and there have been calls for rural crime to be made a priority issue (News, 6 September). Shooting times & Country magazine • 7