Glissading hare evades gamekeepers!
Highland estates specialising in shooting have been accused of driving mountain hares towards extinction by killing tens of thousands of them illegally.
Conservationists claim the animals are slaughtered by estate owners who blame the hares for spreading a tick which carries a virus fatal to grouse chicks.
The Hare Preservation Trust fears over-shooting could lead to the mountain hare becoming extinct in some parts of Scotland within the next 10 years.
It has urged Scottish ministers to introduce tougher legislation to protect the country’s 350,000 mountain hares, including conditions on when culls can take place.
In a submission to the Scottish Government’s Wildlife and Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill, the HPT quotes a former police officer specialising in wildlife crime, who says Highland estates are “systematically culling” hares.
In its submission, the trust said: “It is already the case that, in some areas where mountain hares were once abundant, they no longer exist.”
The HPT wants hare shooting only to be carried under licence with proof of serious economic damage to crops or forestry, and suggests that culling should take place during the main breeding period between February and September.
A report commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage in 2008 said that of 24,529 hares killed on Scottish estates in 2006-07, almost 80% were shot, but more than 5,000 were snared.
Around 200 licences allowing hares to be snared were issued, which the HPT said “clearly shows” European law has been broken.
Doug McAdam, from the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association, which represents landowners, said: “The scientific evidence would suggest that the mountain hare range appears to be stable, despite increasing management.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Government said: “We are proposing further protection with the introduction of a close season as part of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill which is being considered by parliament.”
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