And yet wildlife crime is falling in Scotland?

Professor John Robertson OBA

The Herald report above fails to mention the latest wildlife crime statistics. Here they are:

From the Scottish Government:

The Chief Statistician for Scotland has released figures for Wildlife Crime in Scotland 2022. The statistics show that recorded wildlife crime was down by 7% from 308 offences in 2020-21 to 286 offences in 2021-22.

The report shows that there were noticeable decreases in recorded crime for fish poaching (from 110 to 49 offences) and hunting with dogs (from 44 to 13 offences).

Publication of Wildlife Crime in Scotland 2022 – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)

BBC Scotland have no wildlife stories other than the fascinating, I’m sure, Will technology silence the shout auction at Peterhead fish market?

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7 thoughts on “And yet wildlife crime is falling in Scotland?”

  2. To be fair to the campaigners whom the Herod is platforming, the number of recorded crimes in relation to birds has increased markedly, despite the overall reduction in recorded wildlife crime.

    There is still a preparedness amongst some who are associated with the ridiculously named ‘field sports’ to kill raptors because they are taking a few grouse and other game birds. They are also being killed by a few sheep farmers in upland areas because the raptors will take some new born lambs.

    The numbers of game birds and lambs taken by raptors is very small, but spokespersons for organisations like NFU and ‘field sports’ tend to use lurid language like ‘carnage’ and ‘devastation’. It is the same kind of language used to vilify foxes to justify fox hunting.

    On the whole, however, more rural businesses are more amenable to actions to conserve wildlife, accepting that it plays a vital role in maintains the balance of life, compared to industrial chemical heavy farming and transforming peat lands with heather to provide cover for game birds.

    Probably ‘loopholes’ in the legislation have to be dealt with, but this does not mean that the legislation has ‘failed’. It has achieved a fair amount.

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  3. O/T apologies

    Apparently there is a orchestrated media stooshie about an assumed ‘insult’ to Alex Salmond at the SNP Party conference.

    As the “Tribute” at the SNP party conference for Alex Salmond was apparently only approx. 15 seconds ?

    Who had the stopwatch…..and is this really news ?

    The Sun Newspaper’s from page headline states……..(yes The Sun newspaper)

    “SNP Conference Storm: Nats 14 second insult to Salmond”.

    (It , as a supposed ‘perceived’ insult, is also noted in smaller front page sections within The Scotsman and The Daily Telegraph who, like The Sun newspaper , are all strong supporters , as a media, of Scottish independence……..Not).

    So The Sun newspaper who in previous headlines on their front pages stated….

    On 19 March 2017 “Alex Salmond blasted after he denies calling 2014 Indy vote a “once in a lifetime” poll”

    On 20 March 2017 “Alex Salmond accused of “Fake news” after falsely denying 2015 Indy Ref was a “once in a lifetime” vote”

    Let’s be honest here the only reason The Sun newspaper, and others, are promoting this as a supposed “insult” is because it is yet another way, as in another opportunity, for them to declare #SNPBAD.

    Also let’s be honest here in respect to Mr Salmond , when he was the SNP leader and the FM he was great, a superb orator and someone who could easily refute what opponents said in their opposing opinions (arguments) upon Scottish independence and also about the SNP as a party and a Scottish government too………..but then when he, Mr Salmond, formed an opposition party , the Alba party, to the SNP he became another hostile source for many pro UK politicians and pro UK media to utilise (exploit) as a weapon against the SNP.

    Just basically yet another dissenting voice, that in dissent , then became yet another UK weapon within the UK Political and media armoury……. with which to attack the SNP………..also some pro UK politicians and pro UK media also (wrongly) assumed would also then put the kibosh on Scottish independence………..

    As they , as so called Unionists in their non existent UK State Union, seemed to ignore the fact that Alba too, as a political party, were also an independence party…..but then they , as UK media and UK politicians, only ever wanted the side of Mr Salmond , the Alba party leader, that opposed the SNP and so then criticised the SNP, as a party and as the Scottish government.

    Now look at Alba….no MP’s…. as those Alba MP’s who defected from the SNP to Alba were voted out last year in the UK GE……..that included their now new party leader Kenny MacAskill .

    Also now Alba’s only MSP, Ash Regan, has left the party to become an Independent MSP………and Alba’s current polling in Scotland was not looking good at all…with or without Ash Regan.

    I mean would Ash Regan have left Alba had she thought her seat was safe next year as an Alba MSP ?

    Though she has touted her reasons for leaving the Alba party was her “concerns about the party’s direction”….

    I mean Ash Regan, formerly Ash Denham, was elected as an SNP MSP…….she then stood for the SNP leadership after NS left………….she failed to win ……..then she stood as a candidate for the Alba party leadership after the tragic death of Mr Salmond………and she failed to win that as well…….so is it more her own personal career ambition that drives the decisions she now makes as an MSP…. as opposed to what is best for her constituents (who elected her to be a SNP MSP and not as an Alba party MSP or indeed to be an ‘Independent’ MSP).

    So now she, Regan, has seen the (bad) polling for Alba …..and so she decides, in her own self interest, to roll the dice in now becoming an ‘Independent’ MSP at Holyrood (for now that is)………….as she seems a tad too fickle as a supposed politician.

    We do need to remember that Alex Salmond was very very critical of the SNP as a party, especially when he formed the Alba party , so it is now a tad duplicitous of the UK media , who previously when Mr Salmond was the SNP leader, never cheered him on….. or supported him as leader of the SNP….. an independence party………but now they, as a UK media , expect us to believe they side with him in this media contrived ‘insult’ and also reinforced by the new Alba leader as well !

    That is as a UK media they expect the SNP to set aside an extensive part of their party conference to pay tribute to someone , who when invited onto UK media programmes, chose to berate the SNP, as a political party………………which TBH was the only reason he, Mr Salmond, was given an invite to appear on UK media programmes.

    (Though it was also noted Mr Salmond’s family were also upset at the too brief tribute at the SNP party conference. Also they, as the family of Mr Salmond, are being reported as intending to continue what he started in suing the Scottish government in taking them to court next year….when the Scottish elections are to be held.…. to try to “defend his name” in a legal action over an alleged botched investigation into harassment complaints against him”).

    But really in respect to the UK media …..could they be more obvious and more tactical here in their false declaration of what they promote as a alleged “insult” to Mr Salmond……nope they could not.

    Pity they , the UK media, were not as supportive and considerate towards Alex Salmond when he led the SNP and so was the SNP FM during the campaign for Scottish independence in 2014…when they, the UK media, were on the opposing NO side…..UK Media hypocrites…. all of them.

    Liz S

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    1. Well said Liz. Absolutely spot on about Salmond. I was always suspicious of the ‘Alba’ party, and to use the name of Scotland just seemed such an insult and now, they are a busted flush. They certainly did the Brit state’s job for them in demonising the SNP. A trojan horse at best.

      Should there not have to be a by election when MSP’s jump ship to another party, keeping their well paid jobs,but not representing the people who voted for them at all..it’s so undemocratic, no matter which party, they should have to stand as a candidate for their chosen party.

      I was unable to sleep at all last night so spent ages on Ytube, sigh. I saw again a channel called, ‘through a Scottish prism’, by ‘Barrhead boy’. Supposedly an independence channel, but my oh my is it an anti SNP channel, and the comments are off the scale in misinfo and lies about the SNP and John Swinney etc. They also lay in about Salmond not getting a massive tribute at the conference.
      As you say he turned on the SNP, split the votes, and aided the Brit media and thereby the Brit state in demonising the SNP party and members.

      I wonder if the anti SNP commenters will enjoy paying for their prescriptions and having no SNHS when they say they will ‘never vote SNP again’ and I’ve been a member for 40years but they’ll not gte my vote in 2026 etc etc. Lots of trolls I reckon, if not, it’s not looking good for Scotland with that type of propaganda.
      Sigh.

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      1. Indeed ArtyHetty…..

        The words ….Cut….Nose….Off…….Spite…………face………..springs to mind.

        Hence why we often use inverted commas in reference to them…..as in in connection with them being ‘Independence supporters’ to signify our scepticism and sarcasm……..as all they do as ‘Independence supporters’ is to help the pro UK political parties and their pro UK media sustain their UK State……..Duh !

        Liz S

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