A greater sage-grouse in Wyoming. Credit: Bureau of Land Management, BLM. Public domain
When it comes to Scottish moors, one might think of them as “wild” and “untamed,” but the truth is quite different. These stunning landscapes are actually carefully managed, and these techniques have recently come under fire and are being reviewed by the Scottish government.
The management practices in question include burning the moorlands, also known as muirburn, and controlling the animal population through trapping, snaring, and poisoning. These measures are carried out to artificially maintain the number of red grouse so they can be hunted during grouse season.
An estimated 260,000 animals are killed each year in Scotland as part of these “predator control” measures. Targeted animals include foxes, weasels, stoats, rats, rabbits, and various types of corvid such as crows, magpies, jackdaws, and jays.
Believe it or not, many animals are killed unintentionally. According to a report, commissioned by the League Against Cruel Sports Scotland, as many as 39% of the trapped animals are not the intended targets. These include pine martens, hedgehogs, badgers, deer, and hares. There have also been reports of endangered and protected animals, such as raptors and the capercaillie, being killed.
In a recent report, which I co-authored with Dr. Katie Javanaud and Professor Andrew Linzey from the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, we examined the moral basis for these practices. We found that the suffering caused by animals trapped in these methods is severe beyond measure.
Prolonged suffering
The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards, to which the UK is a signatory, is the primary measure against which the welfare of trapped animals is judged. According to these standards, traps could cause death anywhere between 45 seconds and five minutes, with traps still considered efficient if 20% of animals do not die within five minutes. To think that any system of killing that takes 45 seconds to five minutes is inhumane and cruel; the animals subjected to these traps suffer from an appalling range of injuries. This is an ordeal that results in psychological and emotional harm.
Predator control methods, whether trapping, snaring, or poisoning, are all based on exposing animals to prolonged suffering for hours or days. This raises questions about the practicality of regularly inspecting these traps, given the vast area over which they are used, limited manpower, and adverse weather conditions.
