Back in November 2020 the Scottish Government published a commissioned report entitled “The socioeconomic and biodiversity of driven grouse moors and the employment rights of gamekeepers”. The report covered a number of areas but we are going to look at just one of them. This is the survey of gamekeeper’s experiences of wildlife crime.

Gamekeepers were asked about their experience of wildlife crime and crime in general whilst at work. The full responses to the survey can be read here. What is interesting about the responses is that whilst 37% of gamekeepers reported that they had witnessed wildlife crime on the ground they worked on and 54% reported that they had witnessed other types of crime there not one reported seeing a crime committed by a gamekeeper. They spoke of poaching, hare coursing, egg theft, nest disturbance by dogs off the lead, sheep worrying, diesel theft, fly tipping, off road driving and many other incidents carried out by visitors but not a single one reported ever having seen a colleague commit an offence.

No mention of raptor poisoning, raptor shooting, dog fighting, badger baiting, badger sett gassing, illegal use of snares and traps, etc etc.

A few facts:

R.S.P.B. Birdcrime statistics show that 67.2% of those convicted of raptor crime between 1990 and 2018 were gamekeepers.

Incidents of wildlife crime generally nearly doubled during lockdown.

A number of estates are under general licence restrictions because “there is evidence to suggest that a wild bird or birds has/have been killed, injured and/or taken, and/or that an attempt has been made to do so other than in accordance with a licence, or where General Licences are being otherwise misused”.

An award winning gamekeeper at the ‘Jewel in the crown of driven grouse moors’ was involved in a dog fighting ring. The dogs he used were kept in kennels on the estate.

Bearing the above in mind is it not strange that not a single gamekeeper, some with many years in the job, reported seeing a single incidence of a colleague committing a wildlife crime.

Perhaps they should have gone to Specsavers.