A war of words has broken out between a charity and a gamekeepers’ organisation over one of Scotland’s iconic birds of prey.
RSPB Scotland has called for sporting estates to take action to protect hen harriers, claiming a male bird was shot within the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park during a hunt last year.
The Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) refuted the allegation, saying the charity is “demonising” those who work on estates.
RSPB Scotland says there was a 20% drop in the hen harrier population between 2004 and 2010 and blamed “illegal persecution”.
They highlighted a case, unreported until now, in which a male hen harrier was apparently shot in the eastern Cairngorms.
The charity said two members of the public contacted the police last May after witnessing what they described as a coordinated hunt on the moor, ending in the apparent shooting of the protected bird of prey.
An investigation was launched by Police Scotland but no one has been charged in connection with the alleged incident.
Ian Thomson, RSPB Scotland’s head of investigations, said: “All the evidence indicates that this appears to have been an appalling, organised killing of one of our rarest birds of prey, which shows a complete disregard of the laws protecting our wildlife.”
But SGA hit back, saying there was “no evidence” to support the RSPB’s claim.
A spokesman said: “In terms of accusing grouse moors alone for the decline of hen harrier, the RSPB, as a bird charity, could spend donor money more wisely by assessing the bigger picture of harrier decline and the criminal drop in the smaller, less iconic prey birds, rather than spending it on demonising gamekeepers the vast majority of whom work within the law every day, under very trying circumstances, to produce a balance of species as well as a surplus of grouse to shoot.
“In Orkney, the hen harrier population declined 70% from 1970, yet there are no gamekeepers or grouse moors.”