Wholesale Slaughter of Deer Herds in South of Scotland

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 719, 19 July 1929, Page 15

Wholesale Slaughter of Deer Herds in South of Scotland

The result of the great winter campaign organised with the object of thinning out the herds of deer which starvation and other causes, to the consternation of the Scottish farmers, had driven southward from their usual feeding grounds, was recently announced, and it appears that, of the ■ 10,000 estimated surplus, 9,000 were j killed between November and the end of April. This wholesale slaughter, regrettable as it may seem, is not unprecedented. In the last year of the war 13,000 stags and hinds were killed. The recent operations were rendered necessary in view of the fact that not only grazing land and field crops, but even stackyards had been raided. Mr. Peter Mclntyre, of Tignablair, ! Comrie. reported in December at a meeting of the Scottish Chamber of j Agriculture that deer had actually been seen within a few miles of Glasgow and had been found eating turnips in a field only two and a-half miles from Crieff. An interesting memorandum was compiled at the beginning of the campaign by Sir lan Colquhoun of Luss, a recognised authority on stalking. In his opinion ' the question of hinds is “of paramount i importance,” five or six hinds being j sufficient following for each stag, i ■whereas the normal has, of recent ; years, increased to ten or fifteen. A curious parallel is afforded by the action of wolves in Ontario, who have taken it upon themselves to do some j

thinning out on their own account, though with less general commendation. In fact so serious has the matter become that fears are expressed that the deer may be wiped out altogether, in one section of the province alone 300 having been accounted for in a period of six weeks. An increase in the wolf bounty from £ 3 a head and the return of the skin to £lO. the Government retaining it. is suggested. What is sauce for the goose is not always sauce the gander and a London daily, on the ravages of the wolves, denounces them as “fourfooted murderers.’’