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Scotland’s rural communities are braced for the publication of the Wildlife Management (Grouse) Bill, which will introduce a licensing scheme for grouse shoots. The Scottish government carried out a consultation on the bill towards the end of last year and the text, which is to be placed before parliament, is expected imminently. The bill arose from a review conducted by Professor Alan Werritty into grouse shooting in Scotland. The review chose not to recommend the introduction of licensing but suggested waiting five years and then reviewing the status of key species around grouse moors. How...

Gamekeepers and land managers have expressed bafflement after RSPB Scotland blamed wet spring weather for the catastrophic decline in capercaillie numbers. (Read more on the plight of the capercaillie.) The claim follows the publication of the results of the organisation’s latest capercaillie survey, which found that just 542 of the birds remain in the wild in Scotland. This year’s survey is the sixth national count of the birds, with counts having taken place every six years for nearly four decades. The survey team searched for feathers, droppings and the birds themselves in Badenoch and ...

The bird was reported to police after being discovered in woodland near Ladybank in Fife in April. The discovery of the bird’s remains was accompanied by a press release from Police Scotland which claimed that the bird had been illegally killed and that it had died “a lingering death.” The press release then went on to ask for witnesses to come forward, saying: “We rely on the public to help us tackle wildlife crime and I urge anyone in the local and wider community to come forward if they have any information about who may have been responsible.” The alleged offence was enthusia...