Usually, on the first day of the Red Grouse shooting season, there are lots of photos of men in tweed ‘oop on t’moors, wi’ guns’ practising a peculiarly British unsporting sport. But yesterday the papers were practically devoid of such nonsense and what coverage there was seemed to carry news of the fact that grouse shooting had a lot of questions to answer and that some thought that grouse shooting should be banned.
We did that!
Thank you! We are setting the agenda for grouse shooters, wildlife ngos and government to follow.
And the e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting passed 12,000 signatures early on the #Inglorious12th and 13,000 signatures before I woke on the #Inglorious13th.
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Can I just remind everybody, that it is the inglorious 13th indeed, because today is the date, for this year, that the world enters into ecological deficit.ie we are living off savings from now on.
Yes we noticed the total lack of media coverage this year for the inglorious 12th events. What a turn-around in just 12 months. The tide is beginning to turn against driven grouse shooting that is obvious, the more harriers these people kill the faster the tide will run. There was an interesting article written by Adrian Thornton Berry (a member of a grouse shoot) published by the Yorkshire Post last week.
Mr.Thornton Berry argues there is certainly a serious problem in the grouse shooting industry. He wrote – some of the big commercial grouse moors which charge parties thousand pounds a time are shooting themselves in the foot by adopting a Victorian-era mentality towards the control of birds of prey. The shooting of hen harriers on grouse moors continues in some areas, and it has managed to bring the entire sport into disrepute.
Your readers can follow the full account by following the link below.
http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2015/08/12/shootings-proud-heritage-an-interesting-perspective-by-a-grouse-shooter/#more-18409
Mark,
My local tv news, BBC Look North (North East and Cumbria)ran a story all day about the ‘glorious’ 12th. Basically it heralded the event and gave a sympathetic view to a game keeper who was talking about it being a bad year for grouse chicks and how this was bad for business….then a b and b owner talking about how this will affect the trade in Reeth in the Yorkshire Dales. I contacted the news editor and told her what I thought of the item and that there was no objective view. I was very surprised they went with this story. Basically she told me it was just a day in the calendar that they report on, “such as A-level results day” !!!! What is the best course of action to change this ignorant outlook.
Best regards,
Richard.
Best might be to contact them in advance next year, remind them how disappointed you were the previous year and encourage them to get along to one of the HH day events beforehand to get the other point of view.
Disappointing, I agree, but at least Look North did cover the Saltholme Hen Harrier day event so the grouse shooters have not had it all their way.
8th day of the eagerly awaited Defra response, ha …. what likelihood their previous twaddle being regurgitated ?
Here’s to a sure & steady momentum getting us to the 100k ….
Next opportunity for a push – next weeks Bird Fair …. will there be an option for visitors (who’ve not already signed) to sign there & then?
Mud-lark – unlikely I think. This time their Minister is reading Inglorious. And this time the subject of the e-petition is much broader.
Oh I do so like your faith in defra pen-pushers;)
I may have just a tad more faith in their Minister reading Inglorious:)
Doesn’t that just sum up today’s BBC. Opium for the people.