Iolo Williams, naturalist and TV presenter, says:
‘I am not, and never have been, anti-shooting but over the past decade, it has become patently obvious that the levels of bird of prey persecution associated with driven grouse shooting are sending some iconic species to the brink of extinction in many areas. This is totally unacceptable and is why I urge you to sign this petition.‘
To join Iolo Williams, please sign Gavin Gamble’s e-petition which calls for a ban on driven grouse shooting.
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Well done Iolo. No doubt we’ll be having furious protests to the BBC of lack of impartiality, which hopefully will further publicise the petition.
Iolo, the world needs more like you to speak out about the need for effective stewardship and urgent action to protect the natural world. Your speech on the ‘State of Nature’ should be in every school. Thanks for standing up against this so-called ‘sport’.
Iolo, so many thanks for this! You might not know, but a while back up here in Scotland some in the gamekeeping fraternity were saluting you as one of their own, I suspect because you had spoken so eloquently and passionately about the loss of waders on the Berwyn. There were comments such as ‘he’s a real countryman, not like that Packham’, you were really being held up by them, the desperately friendless. I felt at the time this was vain, vain hope of theirs. I was so glad to see your speech at Sheffield last year (on you tube) where you comprehensively demolished their pathetic presumptions – an absolute shocker you’ve directly witnessed the results of hen harrier persecution and you made reference to ‘bullies’, they really go together don’t they? A few puffed up bags of wind north of the border have been left with an awful lot of egg on their faces – one in particular and he knows who he is if he reads this. I also heard you being interviewed by Charlie Moores on Talking Naturally with Ruth Millar and Alan Davies, you had me in hysterics with what you want to do with politicians! I doubt very much that broadcasting will ever dry up for you, but if it does consider stand up!
Large scale game shoots are being more and more industrialised in terms of mass ‘production’ and maximum profit to the detriment of natural sites. Grouse shooting on this scale is leaving a wasteland in biodiversity similar to intensive farming. The unforeseen consequences and delay berateeradication of species that might impinge on the yield is unacceptable. And the owners and limited number of employees cock a snoop at the illegalities of their actions. Time to raise the bar.
I remember , a few years ago now, you were on television talking about your local moor, where you had grown up.
You talked of the abundant birdlife, Waders, Blackgame etc; and the old keeper who helped by
controlling the Crows and Foxes.
Things were never perfect, but obviously more in balance, and less intensive than nowadays.
So why Iolo do you think it right to shoot birds for fun?
Grouse, crows, jays, and any other wildlife that gets in the way of the shooters warped sense of enjoyment and entitlement.
Why are you so selective about which wildlife is ‘good’ and which is ‘bad’?
Shooting wild life for fun here in Britain is no different from trapping birds in Cyprus or Malta[ and far too many other places].