Shooting does more to protect wildlife than the RSPB

Today, the Glorious Twelfth, is the one day of the year most anticipated by game shooters – the start of the grouse season. But, as the first grouse make their way to restaurants and butchers across the country, a battle is being fought on the moors.

The entire sport of grouse shooting is under attack because there are only three breeding pairs of hen harriers left in England – birds that the RSPB argue are endangered due to the actions of those with a vested interest in protecting red grouse from predators. A campaign to ban grouse shooting – complete with an e-petition to Defra – is being orchestrated by Mark Avery, formerly conservation director of the RSPB. His petition currently has almost 14,000 signatures, as well as the support of the likes of Countryfile’s Chris Packham. For many, this takes them back to the late nineties and the last time such a ban was being put forward.