Call for investigation into rotting deer
THE SCOTTISH Gamekeepers Association (SGA) is calling on the Scottish Government to investigate why a landowning conservation charity left dozens of stags to rot on a Knoydart hillside.
However, the John Muir Trust claims the problem was a result of deer populations being too high.
An SGA spokesman said: ‘The deer culling practice by the John Muir Trust on its land at Li and Coire Dhorcail has left neighbouring deer managers sickened.
‘Stags, some with haunches and heads removed, were left to decompose on the moor and online images of the carcasses, viewed by thousands, have elicited angry responses.
‘The normal practice of engaging with neighbours in the local deer group about intentions for the cull was not observed by the John Muir Trust which, instead, informed Scottish Natural Heritage.
‘Neighbours in the deer management group have claimed, whilst being disrespectful to the animals, the practice has cost the local area £100,000 in wasted venison and income from visiting stalkers.
‘The charity in question has made it its political prerogative to stand outside of the voluntary code respected by other deer managers in Scotland because they are lobbying to have this replaced by statutory arrangements.
‘The only body which can scrutinise this incident properly to decide whether it is in the best interests of deer, local people in Knoydart or best practice, therefore, is the Scottish Government. Deer were extracted from this area successfully before it was managed by John Muir Trust. The culled animals do not need to be left on open hill.’
The John Muir Trust responded to a press release issued by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association.
Mike Daniels, head of land management for the charity, said: ‘As the SGA is well aware, many thousands of deer die on our hillsides each winter – including hundreds in the Knoydart area – because deer populations are too high and they are desperately seeking food and shelter.
‘These deaths from starvation and lack of woodland shelter are slow and painful and are a direct consequence of management practices that aim for high deer numbers for sport shooting regardless of animal welfare or ecology.
‘The number of deer we had to cull between July and October - just over one per cent of the total population on Knoydart - was higher than usual because we can no longer rely on close season authorisations, which would allow us to cull deer in the winter when they come down from the higher slopes.
‘Consequently, extraction of deer carcasses is much harder, especially in one of the most difficult and inaccessible corners of Scotland.
‘ Where possible, venison was taken from any remaining carcasses, with the rest left for other wildlife.
‘ We suspect that the main motivation for this attack from the Scottish Gamekeepers Association is to deflect attention away from Scotland’s unsustainably high deer population, which is coming under increasing scrutiny as land reform climbs up the political agenda.’