Please vote (No) here and circulate widely:

http://focusingonwildlife.com/news/poll-should-the-slaughter-of-grouse-be-allowed-to-continue/

Aug12, 2013

Today is the “Glorious Twelth”, a day when according to tradition hunting enthusiasts gather on moors in Scotland and the north of England to shoot Grouse. Proponents will tell you that that this is an important British tradition. They will also argue that it is good for Britain’s economy by attracting tourists, providing jobs for thousands of people and generating several £100 millions annually .

Eight Reasons to Oppose Grouse Shooting:
1.Killing birds for sport is cruel and uncivilised. [Say no more!]
2.A large number of native birds and mammals who interfere with grouse shooting are trapped, poisoned or snared. Victims include stoats, weasels, and even iconic raptors such as hen harriers, red kites and golden eagles.
3.An unnatural, heather-rich environment is created because the grouse thrive on young heather shoots. To create fresh young shoots, the heather is burned, which can harm wildlife and damage the environment.
4.The burning of heather, reports an expert, ‘threatens to release millions of tonnes of carbon locked into the peat bogs underpinning the moors. Where burning occurs, the hydrology changes and the peat is open to decomposition and erosion. This strips the moor of carbon as surely as setting fire to the Amazon Forest.’ (Adrian Yallop,New Scientist magazine, 12 August 2006)
5.The harsh ‘management’ of moorlands causes grouse numbers to boom. But as they overburden the landscape, they become weakened and fall prey to a lethal parasite – Strongylosis. This attacks the gut and leads to a collapse in the population.
6.A cycle of population boom and bust is the norm on Britain’s grouse moors.
7.Large quantities of lead shot are discharged, which is toxic to wildlife.
8.Grouse shooting estates use the Countryside and Rights of Way Act to restrict public access to mountain and moorland.