Chamber and committees

Keith Talbot submission of 25 November 2021

PE1859/R – Retain falconers rights to practice upland falconry in Scotland

As a veterinary surgeon with 13 years experience treating all species, including captive and wild raptors, I felt that the Scottish Government’s previous responses have failed to accurately appreciate and address the negative impact this legislation will have on certain captive raptors. 

In my original submission I mentioned the 5 freedoms including the freedom to express normal behaviour. I feel the response demonstrated very little knowledge of the raptors involved and their needs. Large buzzard species (red tailed hawks, ferruginous etc) and eagles require large areas in which to fly and be hunted. Sadly with ever increasing urbanisation safe areas to fly these birds are harder and harder to find. Wind turbines, power lines and fences pose real threats to such birds. The Scottish uplands are not only the natural place for birds such as eagles but the safest and best places to fly such birds. Whilst the Scottish Government state there are other quarry species available such as rabbits, this demonstrates poor knowledge of the land in question. In the higher, safe, open hill land rabbits are far less numerous than the mountain hare. This is even more evident since viral haemorrhagic disease has decimated the rabbit population in many areas. The suggestion of hunting grouse is also not applicable to an eagle. 

As such the mountain hare becomes the logical, natural quarry to pursue. Lets be honest, wild golden eagles will be predating them every single day. 

I know of many captive raptors that since this legislation was bought in have remained in their aviaries. This absolutely does create a welfare issue, hunting naturally, exactly as their wild counterparts would allows good muscle development, fitness and most importantly mental stimulation that cannot be adequately provided in any other way. Failure to provide this can lead to stereotypical behaviours such as feather plucking and self mutilation, as well as heart disease. 

The mountain hare was given this protection to prevent mass culls, as have been seen on some estates. No falconer wants to see these scenes, we need and want to see good numbers of hares. This legislation has left any falconer who intentionally or unintentionally hunts a mountain hare liable to prosecution. 

The obvious, common sense solution is to offer a falconry licence, available to take a certain number of mountain hares, as is available for other species. Falconry will have a negligible impact on any hare populations. Few people have the time, dedication and skills to fly these iconic raptors to such a high level that they regularly catch wild quarry. I ask you to reconsider this at the highest level and implement a licence for falconers, independent of the current offered estate licences. These licences seem very unlikely to be issued in areas suitable for flying large raptors (open moorland) despite there being very good mountain hare populations present. 

This legislation should have been discussed with veterinary surgeons, who understand these raptors and their biology at a much earlier date. If you however wish to now please feel free to get on touch.