The inglorious twelfth

August 12th – the so-called Glorious Twelfth – marked the start of the four-month grouse shooting season. A new Animal Aid report, Calling the Shots 2014, is aimed at alerting the public to the truth about an activity that is based on extensive wildlife and environmental destruction. Burning is carried out to encourage the growth of fresh heather, on which the grouse are fattened-up for shooting. Roads are dug and car parks built for the visiting ‘guns’. Moorland wildlife perceived to threaten the birds is slaughtered.

Under the current government, wealthy moorland grouse shoot owners are receiving even larger public subsidies than before, as they go about their industrial scale slaughter of wildlife and rural vandalism.

Animal Aid opposes all shooting of birds. We are calling for an end to the use of public money to subsidise grouse shoots and for the introduction of state licensing for those shoots and for gamekeepers. The retention of such licences would be dependent on adherence to wildlife protection laws.