Conservationists urges cull on BOP

just thought our members would find this of interest re b.o.p. the person who has found this info has given me her permission to post it onto the site.....

Yesterdays Scotland on Sunday Oct 11TH PAGE 8 has an article of news .It may be of some help to pigeon fanciers to contact IAN MC CALL .He is the director of Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust . In the paper he is saying there should be a cull on some BOP to protect pigeon fanciers and farmers . These birds are protected from the government and we do not have control over the numbers of birds breeding wild and if it continues people will take it into there own hands and do what they must .Ian Mc Call is calling for support to determine the numbers of BOP and if the numbers grow then something should be done about killing them .On this forum a few weeks ago it was talked about doing something . Read yesterdays SOS and if Ian Mc Call is needing support and proof about the damage that BOP are doing to the pigeon sport it is now up to you all to get behind this man and do something instead of just talking . Now is your chance to be heard one man has got coverage it is up to others to get intouch with him with your support and stories of BOP ripping your birds appart ,killing them and the damage they are doing . I have posted this in the hope that it will infact be helpfull to you all . Avril

By Jenny Fyall
Environment Correspondent
LIMITS should be placed on the growing number of birds of prey in Scotland to protect the interests of landowners, according to the outgoing head of a leading conservation charity.
Ian McCall, director of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, has warned that if legal means are not provided to help farmers, grouse-moor owners and pigeon fanciers to control birds of prey, they would be forced to take the law into their own haADVERTISEMENTnds.

McCall's comments will inflame the debate between those who support controlling bird of prey numbers – which have exploded over the past decade – and those who believe they should be allowed to flourish without interference.

Among the species that have increased following government protection of their status are buzzards and sparrowhawks, which prey on other birds.

Although landowners can get licences to shoot birds of prey in certain circumstances, one has never been granted to protect grouse or pigeons.

"We have got to decide how many (raptors] we want because infinity is unacceptable," McCall said.

"There should be target populations and when we exceed them then we may need to control them."

McCall, head of the trust which carries out scientific research on wildlife conservation, said sparrowhawk and buzzard populations were no longer under threat.

He argued that the Scottish Government should grant licences to allow raptors to be killed if they were causing problems that were having an impact on livelihoods.

"We need to recognise that if there are too many of any species then one needs to offer people who have got a serious problem a way out," he said.

"If you see your lambs being killed every day by raptors, and it's your livelihood and you can't do anything about it then you think, 'Christ I have to take the law into my own hands,'" he said.

"We want to find a compromise solution where people can manage land for wildlife conservation and agriculture and tourism without having to break the law."