NTS at centre of deer cull controversy in Glen Coe
An out-of-season deer cull by National Trust Scotland is causing controversy in Glen Coe and Glen Etive.
According to a survey by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, nearly 80 per cent of people questioned in the area are opposed to the killings.
Loss of jobs, negative impact on tourism and concerns over animal welfare were given as the main reasons for the objections. Out of 139 individuals quizzed over it, 109 of them were against the culling.
National Trust for Scotland (NTS) was granted a licence from regulators NatureScot to shoot deer out of the legal seasons this winter past, to cut the number of wintering deer on their reserve.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association claims that since September NTS has shot over 220 deer, mostly stags, with 41 shot under authorisation at night in a bid to promote tree regeneration without the use of protective fencing.
The association says the area’s gamekeepers, who are reliant upon visiting deer stalking income to keep their jobs and family homes, are being directly impacted.
But NTS says at every stage of planning an increased deer cull at the Glencoe National Nature Reserve, it has been transparent and worked with the local community in Glen Coe and Glen Etive.
“Throughout this regular and ongoing engagement, we have received support and encouragement from many in the local community, while also responding directly to any concerns raised by stalkers at some neighbouring estates and by some other individuals,” said a spokesperson for the charity, which says it injects around £1.5 million a year into the area’s economy.
Deer have sheltered temporarily in parts of the glen owned by NTS for millennia during winter snows before returning to neighbouring hills and glens when the weather improves.
With full-time employment fragile in the area, there are worries schools and teacher numbers could also be hit, if jobs were lost.
Twenty-six respondents to the survey said visitors regarded deer as iconic, with negative impacts on tourism if numbers were continually reduced. A further 25 responses said the culls would impact deer welfare and should only to be carried out within the legal seasons.
“This is an important gauge of community opinion,” said Alex Hogg, MBE, chairman of The Scottish Gamekeepers Association. “Clearly, this authorised cull has been carried out against the wishes of the local community and we also know that socio-economic impacts were not properly considered. There must be another way here. Glen Coe and Glen Etive are not places with lots of other employment choices.
“Deer, and the jobs which go with them, are of particular importance. There must be a way of balancing improvements to the environment – which deer managers are in favour of – but also maintaining jobs and community wellbeing.”
Thirteen respondents to the survey said NTS should have consulted properly and should consider fencing as an alternative to culling out of season.
Ten others said NTS’s plan to cull and move deer from their ground would displace more animals into the village.
National Trust for Scotland said it was open to “learning” and would welcome the opportunity to see the full results and find out how the survey was carried out. The charity did not feel people taking part in the survey were given enough “balanced information” before being asked to give views, said the NTS spokesperson.