Latest news with #RossEwing
Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Daily Record
Bird of prey 'shot dead' in Aberdeenshire as two men charged in connection
The red kite was killed in Glenbuchat, near Strathdon, sometime between Monday, February 3 and Tuesday, February 4. Two men have been arrested and charged after a bird of prey was "shot dead" in Aberdeenshire. Officers received a report that a red kite had been killed in Glenbuchat, near Strathdon, sometime between Monday, February 3 and Tuesday, February 4. The bird, which was found by a member of the public, was recovered with the assistance of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) where the cause of death was not apparent at that time. However, following further investigations, it was allegedly established that the bird had been shot and police were contacted. At the time officers appealed for information - and police have now confirmed that two men, aged 39 and 42, have been arrested and charged in connection with wildlife offences. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Two men have been arrested and charged in connection with wildlife offences following enquiries into the death of red kites in the Strathdon area of Aberdeenshire in February, 2025. The men, aged 39 and 42, will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal." In an earlier release, Detective Constable Danny Crilley, of Police Scotland's Wildlife Crime Unit, said red kites are a protected species. It comes after new statistics suggest a 23% decrease in wildlife crime offences in 2022-23. Figures published by the Scottish Government show there were 66 fewer wildlife offences in 2022-23 compared to 2021-2022. The government said the statistics, which were recorded by Police Scotland, suggest the crimes had almost returned to pre-Covid pandemic levels. The highest numbers of offences were recorded in the Highlands and Islands - 35 - followed by 32 in Lothian and Scottish Borders and 32 in north-east Scotland. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. The figures suggested 31% of offences involved birds and 25% were fish poaching incidents. Landowners organisation Scottish Land and Estates has welcomed the fall in offences. Ross Ewing, director of moorland, said: "This report provides clear and compelling evidence that wildlife crime in Scotland is in decline, thanks to stringent enforcement measures and the collective efforts of land managers and law enforcement agencies. "Scotland has the toughest penalties for wildlife crime anywhere in the UK, and NatureScot's ability to revoke general licences is a strong deterrent to wrongdoing. We are pleased to see that these measures are having the desired effect."
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfire warning over new controlled burning rules
New licensing rules for the controlled burning of heather and other moorland vegetation could lead to an increased risk of wildfires, a rural group has warned. Scottish Land and Estates claimed the technical demands of a new muirburn licensing scheme will leave many land managers unable to obtain a licence in time. The Scottish government said land owners have been given "adequate time" to prepare for the new regulation. The warning comes in the wake of a spate of wildfires across Scotland last week, including on the Isle of Arran and in Cumbernauld. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service issued extreme wildfire warnings last week during a period of warm and dry weather. One method of preventing wildfires often undertaken by land owners is muirburn. While the main purpose is to encourage new heather growth for grouse and other animals to feed on, it also gets rid of excess vegetation which can fuel wildfires. However, the practice also has the potential to damage peatlands, which play an important climate role in locking up carbon, and can have a negative impact on other wildlife. The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act, will introduce a more rigorous licensing scheme this September, with muirburn on peatland only permitted in limited circumstances. Ross Ewing from Scottish Land and Estates, said introducing the regulations was "absolutely possible" in the future but he said the current timescale and "technical requirements" could cause some land owners to stop the process all together. He told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "I think its almost inevitable, if muirburn is made so much harder, which under the current direction of travel is absolutely going to be the case, there will be more wildfire incidents because there will be less people carrying out muirburn which means the fuel load will be increased in a larger area. "What we are saying to ministers is this is not going to be workable within the timescales they've set out and that they need to change their approach. "If ministers make this too hard people will stop muirburning all together and with that your ability to combat wildfires become severely, severely curtailed." The group, which opposed the legislation before it was passed in parliament, said its concerns were shared by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association. The Scottish government said it recognised the positive aspects of muirburn - but said land managers had been given plenty of time to prepare for the new rules. A spokesperson said: "The scheme will ensure muirburn is undertaken appropriately by trained individuals to minimise negative impacts on peatlands and other sensitive habitats. "We recognise the importance of muirburn in creating firebreaks to help tackle wildfires and the new licensing scheme allows muirburn for the purpose of preventing wildfires. "The Bill received Royal Assent in April last year and our implementation timescale has been designed to give practitioners adequate time to prepare for this licensing requirement ahead of the 2025/26 season." Glass bottle likely started Arran wildfire - ranger Extreme wildfire warning in final day with rain to come 'Gamechanger' Scottish wildlife law passes vote
BBC News
18-04-2025
- Climate
- BBC News
Wildfire warning over new 'muirburn' controlled burning rules
New licensing rules for the controlled burning of heather and other moorland vegetation could lead to an increased risk of wildfires, a rural group has Land and Estates claimed the technical demands of a new muirburn licensing scheme will leave many land managers unable to obtain a licence in Scottish government said land owners have been given "adequate time" to prepare for the new warning comes in the wake of a spate of wildfires across Scotland last week, including on the Isle of Arran and in Cumbernauld. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service issued extreme wildfire warnings last week during a period of warm and dry method of preventing wildfires often undertaken by land owners is muirburn. While the main purpose is to encourage new heather growth for grouse and other animals to feed on, it also gets rid of excess vegetation which can fuel the practice also has the potential to damage peatlands, which play an important climate role in locking up carbon, and can have a negative impact on other Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act, will introduce a more rigorous licensing scheme this September, with muirburn on peatland only permitted in limited circumstances. Ross Ewing from Scottish Land and Estates, said introducing the regulations was "absolutely possible" in the future but he said the current timescale and "technical requirements" could cause some land owners to stop the process all told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland: "I think its almost inevitable, if muirburn is made so much harder, which under the current direction of travel is absolutely going to be the case, there will be more wildfire incidents because there will be less people carrying out muirburn which means the fuel load will be increased in a larger area."What we are saying to ministers is this is not going to be workable within the timescales they've set out and that they need to change their approach."If ministers make this too hard people will stop muirburning all together and with that your ability to combat wildfires become severely, severely curtailed."The group, which opposed the legislation before it was passed in parliament, said its concerns were shared by the Scottish Gamekeepers Association. The Scottish government said it recognised the positive aspects of muirburn - but said land managers had been given plenty of time to prepare for the new rules. A spokesperson said: "The scheme will ensure muirburn is undertaken appropriately by trained individuals to minimise negative impacts on peatlands and other sensitive habitats."We recognise the importance of muirburn in creating firebreaks to help tackle wildfires and the new licensing scheme allows muirburn for the purpose of preventing wildfires."The Bill received Royal Assent in April last year and our implementation timescale has been designed to give practitioners adequate time to prepare for this licensing requirement ahead of the 2025/26 season."
BBC News
12-02-2025
- General
- BBC News
Feral pigs spotted roaming Cairngorms National Park caught and culled
Feral pigs spotted on the loose in the Cairngorms National Park have been captured and humanely culled, Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) has animals were seen near Uath Lochans, an area of woodland and small lochs near Kingussie, south of Aviemore, on Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) said earlier this week the pigs were "relatively domesticated" and appeared to have been illegally group of eight animals was initially spotted about five miles away from where four lynx were dumped in the park before later being caught. The park authority was working with public agency FLS to catch the said the animals were classed as a non-native species and illegally released.A spokesperson said: "All land managers are acutely aware of the issues caused by localised populations of feral pigs in other parts of Scotland and current Scottish government guidance encourages land managers to control feral pig numbers to manage their impacts on agriculture and the environment."In light of these considerations the animals were captured, moved to an FLS location and, with the further expert advice of veterinarians and of Police Scotland, have now been humanely culled."Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), which supports rural businesses, condemned the "reckless" release, and encouraged anyone with information to contact this week Ross Ewing, director of moorland at SLE, said: "This appears to be a reckless and illegal act which demonstrates a total disregard for both animal welfare and the wider environment."We saw the tragic consequences of last month's illegal lynx release, which resulted in the death of one of the animals."Those responsible for these incidents show little concern for the welfare of the species they release or the serious impacts they could have." Wild boar are a native species to Scotland, but were hunted to extinction about 700 years about the last 10 years, populations of free-roaming pigs have become established in Dumfries and Galloway and the nature agency NatureScot refers to these animals as feral pigs, and said they include hybrids - a mix of boar and domestic pigs following populations include animals that have escaped from farms or been illegally released into the is thought to have a few thousand free-roaming feral pigs.
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Rangers search for feral pigs thought to have been released in Cairngorms
Rangers in the Cairngorms are searching for a herd of feral pigs believed to have been illegally released in the national park. The animals were spotted near the Uath Lochans area, close to the village of Inch and only 5 miles from where four lynx were illegally released last month. The sighting of the pigs has prompted further concerns about rogue activists intent on rewilding the Highlands by stealth. Confirming that efforts were under way to trap the animals, which appeared to be fairly tame, the Cairngorms national park authority said it condemned any illegal release of animals 'in the strongest possible terms'. Four Eurasian lynx were humanely captured by experts from the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) in early January after they were abandoned near Kingussie, where temperatures plunged as low at -14C, but one subsequently died. The RZSS said the pigs would have been under great stress after being abandoned in the 'extremely harsh' environment. A park authority spokesperson said in a statement: 'We are aware that feral pigs have been spotted in an area of the Cairngorms national park near Uath Lochans. 'The animals appear to be relatively domesticated and it is likely that this is an illegal release. The park authority condemns any illegal release of animals in the strongest possible terms.' Wild boar were native to Scotland, but hunted to extinction about 700 years ago. Over the past 10 years, populations of free-roaming feral pigs numbering in the low thousands have become established in Dumfries and Galloway and the Highlands. These include animals that have escaped from farms, as well as those illegally released into the wild, and hybrids of wild boar and domestic pigs. While not usually aggressive towards humans, a feral pig can weigh up to 100kg and may pose a risk to livestock, wildlife and farmland. A local crofters' cooperative responded angrily to the release, saying: 'Within weeks of the illegal release of four lynx in woodlands near Kingussie, an estimated 20 feral pigs (wild boar) have now been dumped nearby. One has to wonder what on earth is going on – and who is behind these highly irresponsible releases.' The spokesperson for the Cairngorms Crofters and Farmers Community added: 'As has been evidenced elsewhere in Scotland, these creatures can cause serious problems for crofts and farms … Their rooting behaviour destroys pasture, hay fields, and crops such as barley and oats, with newly planted fields being especially vulnerable. They also damage fences, allowing sheep and cattle to escape, causing further losses for crofters and farmers.' Scottish Land and Estates (SLE), which supports rural businesses, condemned the 'reckless' release, and encouraged anyone with information to contact police as it coordinated the trapping efforts. Ross Ewing, the director of moorland at SLE, said: 'This appears to be a reckless and illegal act which demonstrates a total disregard for both animal welfare and the wider environment. 'We saw the tragic consequences of last month's illegal lynx release, which resulted in the death of one of the animals. Those responsible for these incidents show little concern for the welfare of the species they release or the serious impacts they could have.' The three surviving lynx remain in quarantine in Edinburgh zoo. Last week, the first minister, John Swinney, ruled out the legal reintroduction of lynx at the NFU Scotland conference. But conservationists working on a partnership project to set up an approved programme to restore lynx in the region said there was no reason why there could not be a 'carefully managed' reintroduction.
