Peter Argyle, Convenor of the Cairngorms National Park must have been keeping his fingers crossed that this wouldn’t happen. He attends a packed hall on Hen Harrier Day, says some of the right things about illegal persecution, and then another Hen Harrier disappears mysteriously in his National Park. And, of course, it was last recorded on a driven grouse moor (not that far from where he lives actually).
This is what Mr Argyle says of the Hen Harrier day event on the CNPA website, ‘I attended the recent Hen Harrier Day meeting in Boat of Garten to talk about how the CNPA is working with our partners and the Scottish Government to address the issues of wildlife crime generally and the illegal killing of raptors in particular. The hen harrier is a beautiful and fascinating bird and it is good to know that it is breeding successfully on a number of estates – both privately and publicly owned – across the Park.
Roseanna Cunningham has established an independently-led group to look at the environmental impacts of grouse moor management practices and the CNPA will be participating in that review in due course. We are also working with the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to pilot the use of special constables in the Park as well as exploring the use of advanced technology in the fight against wildlife crime.
The CNPA does not exist to ban things but the illegal killing of wildlife is just that; illegal and has been for many years. We want to see it become socially and culturally unacceptable and will work in partnership with all parties to achieve that end.
The gathering in Boat was well attended with some interesting and challenging speakers. I was pleased my clear statement of the CNPA’s role in all of this was broadly accepted and that I had the opportunity to point out that National Parks in Scotland are very different to those in England.‘.
It was good that Mr Argyle attended the Hen Harrier Day event but now what does he say? There is silence so far but this is the time to make a strong statement which makes it absolutely clear that the National Park is going to take much bigger and bolder steps to make the illegal killing of wildlife socially unacceptable.
Let’s see some leadership from the Park Authority on this matter.
Well, that was quick…sort of…
This statement has just been issued:
From Grant Moir CEO, Cairngorms National Park Authority
“A hen harrier has once again disappeared in the Cairngorms National Park, with a satellite tracker ceasing to transmit. The Park Authority is determined to stop these recurring disappearances.
“Earlier this week the CNPA met with Police Scotland to discuss how increased use of special constables can help to tackle wildlife crime in the Cairngorms National Park. We also continue to work on other solutions to these issues.
“The CNPA look forward to the establishment by Scottish Government of the independently-led group to look at the environmental impact of grouse moor management and will feed in to that review.”
All a bit feeble really.
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It bothers me that he said “We want to see it [illegal killing of wildlife] become socially and culturally unacceptable”. It doesn’t need to become socially and culturally unacceptable, it needs to be stamped out with the full force of the application of the law because it’s illegal! Does he want burglary and car theft to simply become unacceptable?
Andy – time for the National Park to step up today with a forthright condemnation and a plan for action.
I agree that an absolutely forthright condemnation of raptor persecution is required from CNPA (and others in similar positions of influence within the grouse shooting world) but I don’t have a problem with this particular expression. Mr Argyll is right that killing Hen Harriers is already absolutely and flatly illegal and the reason why it persists is that in some sections of society is that in spite of this it remains ‘culturally and socially acceptable’.
The so-called great and the good in the shooting world, the estate owners and the leaders of shooting organisations all publicly pay lip-service to the idea that persecuting raptors is an abhorrent crime but every time an incident occurs there is a drawing in of the ranks, denial and silence which seriously calls into question the sincerity of this condemnation. Until the law abiding members of the shooting fraternity (I assume there are some) genuinely start to treat those associated with raptor persecution (i.e the owners, managers and gamekeeping staff of estates where there is clear evidence that it occurs) as pariahs, the persecutors will continue to believe they have the tacit support of the whole grouse shooting industry. If on the other hand it is really made clear to them that within their own world it is socially unacceptable and they find themselves cold-shouldered within that community then perhaps we might see a difference.
Meanwhile we still need to see the agents of the law working effectively (and without pulling its punches) alongside the RSPB and other conservation bodies and individuals to identify and bring to justice the people involved in this horrible criminality.
Enough of the bla bla bla, action is needed now.
Well, as it’s so hard to catch the culprits and prove any wrongdoing, I think shooting organisations should make it socially and culturally unacceptable. It wouldn’t be very difficult for them to drive home the message, but they choose not to. They continue to dismiss it as not being much of a problem and cite the number of prosecutions as being insignificant. They really need to wake up and respond accordingly.
Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V is an absolute godsend to complacent organisations isn’t it?
How do you know he uses windows?
How much longer will it take for “the establishment” to wake up and realise that grouse shooting presents multiple problems for society, ranging from animal welfare, sustainability, environmental damage, and not least the ongoing persecution of protected wildlife without regard for the law of the land. It’s clearly the entire process which is “socially and culturally unacceptable,” and the statement issued by the administrators of Cairngorms National Park is an insult to our intelligence. The Game & Wildlife Conservation [sic] Trust has just published a book titled “The Moorland Balance,” apparently based on their ‘evidence’ presented at the Westminster Hall debate in 2016. It may be wrong to prejudge, but I can’t wait to see whether all the blatant lies presented as evidence by various grouse-shooting personalities are even included, never mind backed up in any way.
I wonder if it will acknowledge that they were not entitled to a place at that 2016 Westminster table?
Mark’s epetition achieved some 123,077 the shooters “protect grouse moors and grouse shooting” received 25,322 a mere 25% (or thereabouts) of the requirement to achieve a Westminster debate.
Have we ever received a satisfactory response to why they were allowed by the Chair of that farce to receive a hearing and then disproportionate time to repeat moor myths without provision of robust evidence?
One might also ponder why the House of Commons has not published the submissions to that ‘debate’ from the public, perhaps too many inconvenient truths were forthcoming supported by data?
The continued disregard for the law and the will of the people simply fuels determination #wewillwin #spreadtheword #wildlifecrime
Let’s keep the pressure up on the National Park authorities,National Trust etc. They need to know the public are not happy with their enabling of Grouse shooting estates to continue perpetrating and condoning criminality.It is simply unacceptable they continue to prop up this damaging and cruel practice.
“Socially and culturally unacceptable and will work in partnership with all parties to achieve that end.”
All of the evidence tells him (and every other sane person) that the persecution is an endemic part of the grouse moor management regime. So if he says he is working towards tackling the problem then he can only be working towards the end of driven grouse shooting.
The Caringorms are being trashed and shamed by grouse moor management- he has to find some mettle and take a lead in reversing the situation.
Cairngorms National Park? Cairngorms Grouse Park! It’s a disgrace – compare it to Yellowstone that has its apex species intact. The CNPA should be dissolved as it isn’t fit for purpose.
All other businesses/professions have had many ‘whistle-blowers’, but not this one. Why? Fear? Greed? ‘Closed-shop’ mentality? Brain-washing? Isn’t it time the shooters gave up the criminals? Otherwise, everyone has to assume the rotten apples are in the majority and spread throughout the management system.