Estate hit with shooting ban

Two buzzAIdS Foued HOiSOEed

A conservation body has placed heavy sanctions on a Perthshire estate after the discovery of two poisoned buzzards.

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has imposed legal restrictions on the 4,000acre Edradynate site, near Aberfeldy, claiming crimes against wildlife were committed on the land.

The estate’s general licences to control wild birds – by shooting or trapping – have effectively been revoked for three years.

A spokesman for the estate said: “We are aware of the decision by SNH to restrict the estate’s general licence. The estate intends to appeal this decision.”

The unusual decision – SNH has only taken such action twice before – has been welcomed by the country’s leading bird welfare charity, albeit with concern over a lack of court action.

Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said: “We are disappointed that no prosecutions have arisen from these cases.

“It has been reported by the authorities that these latest restrictions are as a result of evidence of serious wildlife crime offences being found, with clear links to local gamebird shoot management established by the subsequent investigations.

“This part of Perthshire has had an appalling history of raptor persecution and this case followed the discovery by police of two poisoned buzzards.”

Duncan Orr-Ewing, head of species and land management for RSPB Scotland, said that the action is part of a new package of measures designed to protect birds of prey, introduced earlier this summer.

“We believe that these current measures also need to be allied to an effective licensing scheme for driven grouse shooting in particular, where any illegal and bad practice substantiated by the public authorities, would also result in the ultimate sanction of licence removal,” he added.

SNH chairman Mike Cantlay said: “We are working hard to protect our birds of prey. Raptor persecution doesn’t just damage Scotland’s nature, it also affects tourism which in turn impacts on the economy.

“Yet, because of the remote locations where most wildlife crime takes place, it is often difficult to prove.”

Susan Davies, director of conservation at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “This range of powers, alongside wider measures announced by the Scottish Government earlier this year to tackle wildlife crime, should encourage the land management sector to show leadership in stamping out these deplorable acts.”