Those who were being taught how to cross the road safely in the 1960s will remember the starring role of Tufty in the Green Cross Code. Back then it was still possible to use a Red Squirrel in a national advertising campaign without most people creasing their brows and asking ‘What’s that? It’s red’.
I was sent this image of a dead Red Squirrel on condition that its source remains anonymous – but the image comes from a Scottish grouse moor (I have no reason to doubt that, and several reasons to believe it).
There is so much collateral damage to wildlife on grouse moors – all those Red Foxes, Stoats, Carrion Crows, Hooded Crows etc killed legally and deliberately and then species like Red Squirrel, Dipper and Ring Ousel caught in traps whose aim is to kill the species regarded as vermin on the grouse moors.
This lot should be thrown out of the Tufty Club and you can help that happen by signing this e-petition to ban driven grouse shooting.
[registration_form]
Yes….a friend found a curlew chick in a (legally set) tunnel trap recently. I presume it wasn’t one of the curlew that DGS benefits so much.
The ‘collateral’ damage must be horrendous. A lot of the traps are set on wooden beams acting as bridges over streams, I imagine an awful lot of birds would hop up on to them and go into the traps in the process of looking for food, potential nesting and roosting sites etc. Must be a significant cause of mortality for ring ouzels on some moors, how long would one be up before a bird investigates? Dippers would get hammered too, once upon a time they were directly persecuted because it was felt they were a threat to salmon eggs. In the excellent ‘Tooth and Claw’ by Peter Cairns and Mark Hamlin they report rumours that dippers are still being killed in some places (I can believe that) so maybe not many tears are being shed for them. Ironically it was one of the moorland groups that showed film recently of a red squirrel found kilometres away from any woodland on a moor. Well any encountering one of these traps has had it – they’d be drawn to using ‘bridges’ over streams. Would any of the estates let an independent researcher examine the traps and their contents in the same way one of their keepers would? Be fascinating to see the results, given the prevalence of these traps over large swathes of the uplands it must be a priority for attention.
Surely all energy going into the system should go ultimately into the production of more grouse? So anything that takes energy away from grouse is vermin.
Which is precisely why they need to be banned isn’t it?. National Parks should be for the preservation of wildlife, not intensive grouse production.
Get every incident recorded as per BAWC 3R’s advice. Forward to NWCU and for completeness report to the police too.
There is some work going on at present, by SASA I think, in Scotland and maybe GWCT, into the operation of traps. If this shows that legally operated traps have little or no by-catch then clearly this sort of evidence shows the trap to be illegally operated.
Either way, lets get this out in the open too. Debunk the ‘no evidence’ position before we get to the argument.
Tunneled spring traps are illegal within 10km of designated red squirrel populations.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=http://rfs.org.uk/media/24731/european-squirrel-initiative_trapping-guide-condensed.pdf&ved=0ahUKEwjwu8H8wc3OAhVFCMAKHd6fDEQQFggnMAA&usg=AFQjCNHBvjrtSjQEKO6VCwp7Dm-kcmNCKQ&sig2=j_0rEsrI188lYLutfsUPKQ
Ben – I’ve heard this before – but is it true? I’m not an expert.
Illegal or not good practice?
I was told it’s illegal and covered in Sections 5 and 6 of Wildlife & Countryside Act but have never found a clear reference to it.
Section 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is Prohibition of certain methods of killing or taking wild birds; section 6 is Sale etc. of live or dead wild birds, eggs etc.
I think the section you’re looking for is section 11.— Prohibition of certain methods of killing or taking wild animals. The version on legislation.gov.uk is not up-to-date, here is section 11 as amended by Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011 (s13 (2)):
(1) Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person—
(a) sets in position or otherwise uses any self-locking snare or a snare of any other type specified in an order made by the Scottish Ministers;
(aa) sets in position or otherwise uses any other type of snare which is either of such a nature or so placed (or both) as to be calculated to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal coming into contact with it;
(b) uses for the purpose of killing or taking any animal, any bow or cross-bow or any explosive other than ammunition for a firearm;
(c) uses as a decoy, for the purpose of killing or taking any wild animal, any live mammal or bird whatever; or
(d) knowingly causes or permits to be done an act which is mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this section,
he shall be guilty of an offence.
(1A) For the purposes of subsection (1)(aa), a snare which is of such a nature or so placed (or both) as to be calculated to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal coming into contact with it includes—
(a) where the person who sets in position or otherwise uses the snare does so to catch any animal other than a fox, a snare which is not fitted with a stop which is capable of preventing the noose of the snare reducing in circumference to less than 13 centimetres;
(b) where the person who sets in position or otherwise uses the snare does so to catch a fox, a snare which is not fitted with a stop which is capable of preventing the noose of the snare reducing in circumference to less than 23 centimetres;
(c) a snare which is neither—
(i) staked to the ground; nor
(ii) attached to an object,
in a manner which will prevent the snare being dragged by an animal caught by it; and
(d) a snare which is set in a place where an animal caught by the snare is likely to—
(i) become fully or partially suspended; or
(ii) drown.
(2) Subject to the provisions of this Part, if any person—
(a) sets in position any of the following articles, being an article which is of such a nature and so placed as to be likely to cause bodily injury to any wild animal included in Schedule 6 which comes into contact therewith, that is to say, any trap or snare, any electrical device for killing or stunning or any poisonous, poisoned or stupefying substance;
(b) uses for the purpose of killing or taking any such wild animal any such article as aforesaid, whether or not of such a nature and so placed as aforesaid, or any net;
(c) uses for the purpose of killing or taking any such wild animal—
(i) any automatic or semi-automatic weapon;
(ii) any device for illuminating a target or sighting device for night shooting;
(iii) any form of artificial light or any mirror or other dazzling device; or
(iv) any gas or smoke not falling within paragraphs (a) and (b);
(d) uses as a decoy, for the purpose of killing or taking any such wild animal, any sound recording;
(e) uses any mechanically propelled vehicle in immediate pursuit of any such wild animal for the purpose of driving, killing or taking that animal; or
(f) knowingly causes or permits to be done an act which is mentioned in the foregoing provisions of this subsection,
he shall be guilty of an offence.
[…]
(3C) Subject to the provisions of this Part, any person who–
(a) is, without reasonable excuse, in possession of; or
(b) sells, or offers or exposes for sale,
a snare which is capable of operating as a self-locking snare or a snare of any other type specified in an order under subsection (1)(a) shall be guilty of an offence.
(3D) Subject to the provisions of this Part, any person who, without reasonable excuse–
(a) while on any land, has in his possession any snare without the authorisation of the owner or occupier of the land; or
(b) sets any snare in position on any land without the authorisation of the owner or occupier of the land,
shall be guilty of an offence.
(3E) Subject to the provisions of this Part, any person who uses a snare otherwise than in accordance with such requirements as may be specified in an order made by the Scottish Ministers, or who knowingly causes or permits any other person to do so, shall be guilty of an offence.
(4) The Secretary of State may, for the purpose of complying with an international obligation, by order, either generally or in relation to any kind of wild animal specified in the order, amend subsection (1) or (2) by adding any method of killing or taking wild animals or by omitting any such method as is mentioned in that subsection.
(4A) The Scottish Ministers may by order specify–
(a) criteria which articles of a type referred to in subsections (1) to (3E) must meet to be treated as articles of that type for the purposes of those subsections,
(b) circumstances in which articles of that type are to be treated as having been set or used in a manner which constitutes an offence under those subsections.
(5) In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (1)(c) or (2)(b), (c), (d) or (e) and in any proceedings for an offence under subsection (1)(d) or (2)(f) relating to an act which is mentioned in any of those paragraphs, the animal in question shall be presumed to have been a wild animal unless the contrary is shown.
(6) In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (2)(a) it shall be a defence to show that the article was set in position by the accused for the purpose of killing or taking, in the interests of public health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries or nature conservation, any wild animals which could be lawfully killed or taken by those means and that he took all reasonable precautions to prevent injury thereby to any wild animals included in Schedule 6.
(7) In any proceedings for an offence under subsection (2)(f) relating to an act which is mentioned in subsection (2)(a) it shall be a defence to show that the article was set in position for the purpose of killing or taking, in the interests of public health, agriculture, forestry, fisheries or nature conservation, any wild animals which could be lawfully killed or taken by those means and that he took or caused to be taken all reasonable precautions to prevent injury thereby to any wild animals included in Schedule 6.
—
The up-to-date version of schedule 6 (entries repealed by Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Act 2011):
Common name / Scientific name
Badger / Meles meles
Hedgehog / Erinaceus europaeus
Shrews (all species) / Soricidae
Squirrel, Red / Sciurus vulgaris
NOTE. The common name or names given in the first column of this Schedule are included by way of guidance only; in the event of any dispute or proceedings, the common name or names shall not be taken into account.
—
Forestry Commission Practive Note (FCPN004) states:
‘Red squirrels, when present, will also be at risk although they are less likely to enter tunnels. It is strongly recommended that spring traps should not be used when red squirrels are present. Although there is no case law, as there are no reasonable precautions that can be taken to protect red squirrels from spring traps, it is probable that their use is prohibited under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in areas where red squirrels are known to be present.’
Brenda A Mayle, ‘Controlling grey squirrel damage to woodlands’ (2007) p 14
BASC guidance:
https://basc.org.uk/cop/trapping-pest-mammals/
Further guidance:
‘Kill traps and poison must not be used to control grey squirrels in areas where red squirrels may be present, as it is an offence to intentionally kill or injure a red squirrel.’
http://www.squirrelactiongreenhead.co.uk/trapping.htm
‘Grey squirrels can legally be caught and killed by a variety of methods, including live-catch cage traps, approved spring traps or a specific rodenticide poison that is only approved for use against grey squirrels by a local authority or professional operator. However, such methods may not be legal in areas where red squirrels could also be at risk. For example, it can be an offence to kill, injure or take a red squirrel, or to damage or obstruct its place of shelter.’ RSPCA, ‘Living with …. grey squirrels’
http://www.rspca.org.uk/ImageLocator/LocateAsset?asset=document&assetId=1232713931123&mode=prd
Judging by the dislikes, I think your sarcasm might be a bit too subtle at times, Gerard! I, however, do get your sense of humour. Hope to catch up soon.
Yeah I’m surprised they don’t pull a reflective sheet over the moor at night to stop heat radiation.
I wonder if the Red Squirrel Survival Trust would see if their patron would be willing to back the campaign?
Not a good outcome for any red squirrel. Perhaps should look at legislation to ban the sale of any kind of illegal trap – offer a buy back price for them and then destroy, and make importation from overseas illegal? For example I know this is more for birds of prey, but my understand is that pole traps are illegal but they can still be bought as a vintage item see this link. http://www.vintagetraps.co.uk/product-category/all-products/vintage-traps/pole-traps/
Lilian – thank you for your comment – and that’s an interesting link.
Pole traps are usually legal fenn traps, illegally set on poles: they are the illegal use of a legal trap.
Horrific for Red Squirrels and other wildlife illegally persecuted in the country, this despite all the widespread hard work undertaken to save the Red Squirrel in Scotland and the wider UK.
Why does this continue.