Thank you for emailing Nicola Sturgeon (6)

Yesterday evening we sent out a newsletter asking our supporters to email Nicola Sturgeon about the scale of wildlife crime in Scotland, exemplified by the poisoning of this young White-tailed Eagle that was found on a grouse moor inside the Cairngorms National Park.

The response has been amazing so we thought we’d post a few examples here. This is the sixth tranche of examples.

Have a look at the examples below and please add your own voice. Tell Ms Sturgeon how you felt when you saw the image above. Ask her to act now. You don’t have to send a long email, or a clever email, or a learned email – just speak from the heart. And you don’t have to be Scottish or to live in Scotland.

If you are prepared to send a polite, but firm, email to Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, then this is her email address; firstminister@gov.scot

Thank you!

Dear Ms Sturgeon
I am sure that you are aware of the recent tragic and illegal poisoning of a young White-tailed Eagle, found on the Strathdon Estate. My social media feeds are full of the story, and to make matters worse, it happened within the Cairngorms National Park, a short way up the road from where I am currently holidaying in Grantown on Spey.
I am equally sure that you would like to avoid seeing such stories in the future, which are a slap in the face for Scottish conservationists and a stain on the reputation of the country. Please consider making driven grouse shooting illegal, or if that is a step too far, insist that shooting estates need to be licenced and those licences could be taken away for such happenings. Vicarious liability ought to stop the iniquitous situation where if a prosecution takes place, the land-owner is not held liable. Perhaps if raptor numbers are below those that ecologists think ought to be present, then licences would not be issued? 
I know that there is money in shooting, but there is also money in wildlife tourism. A friend of mine runs a dedicated wildlife-watching hotel in Grantown and photographers pay good money to shoot birds as well. With a camera, after which they can fly away and carry on with their lives. There is another future for Scotland and its wildlife. 
Thanks for taking the time to read this and I hope that wildlife protection will get the resources and enthusiasm it needs in what I expect will become a sovereign nation in the years ahead.
Yours sincerely

Dear Ms Cunningham,
No doubt you will be aware of the incident detailed below:

https://raptorpersecutionscotland.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/satellite-tagged-white-tailed-eagle-found-poisoned-on-grouse-moor-in-cairngorms-national-park/

My constituency is Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch and I went to a surgery to talk to Kate Forbes about raptor persecution following the publication of the Werrity Report.
At that meeting I highlighted the issues around intensive grouse shooting including raptor persecution and urged Ms Forbes to support the immediate introduction of licencing for grouse moors. Her response was that she favoured the consensus view that a review would be carried out after five years to see if self regulation of grouse shooting would work. Is this the SNP view? If so, how many raptors is the Scottish Government prepared to sacrifice before it takes action.
This is happening in a National Park. A park which has intensive grouse shooting as a major land-use. A park that is devoid of raptors over these areas. A park where visitors struggle to see Golden Eagle. It need not be this way.
Clearly this incident demonstrates that this is an “industry” incapable of self-regulation, out of control and dependent on criminality to continue its activities.
I would urge to support the immediate introduction of licencing.
Regards

Dear First Minister,
I write this in sadness, but not shock. In despair, but not surprise. 
Certain crimes, it appears, are permitted to happen in Scotland with impunity. If a criminal connected with a grouse moor wishes to commit a wildlife crime they can do so in Scotland, it seems, knowing there will be no legal consequences for them. If owners of grouse moors direct wildlife crimes to be committed on their property it seems they can do so knowing there will be no legal consequences for them. 
The poisoning of a white-tailed eagle is only the latest known incidence of rampant wildlife crime on Scotland’s grouse moors. Of course the known cases are the tip of the iceberg of the horrific suffering of Scotland’s wildlife that must be going on unreported. And yet despite the mounting reputational damage to Scotland, just at a time when attracting tourists to Scotland is more important than ever to protect livelihoods and support the economy, despite the casual unlawful killing of some of Scotland’s most spectacular wildlife, it appears nothing is being done. 
Your handling of the Covid-19 crisis has been brilliant. You have shown compassion for Scotland and its people. You have been able to take decisive measures and have explained to Scotland’s people why those measures were necessary and you have brought Scotland along with you. You are the envy of many other less able political leaders. Please First Minister, if you want, you can get this growing national scandal under control. Consulting with the grouse moor people won’t work. That’s been tried. 
I don’t live in Scotland, but have holidayed many times over the years. The last time we came we avoided going to areas of recorded wildlife crime, besides, the land in those areas has been all but destroyed. Sadly, I can’t envisage another holiday in Scotland any time soon. It seems too much like a wildlife crime hotspot with weak law enforcement. I know this view may not be accepted but that’s how it appears. 
Will you take a look at this issue and see what you can do? 
Thank you for taking the time to read this note and I wish you well in your continued dealing with the pandemic.
Yours sincerely,

Dear Ministers
This has to stop! Please bring these criminals to )serious) justice and protect what is far more important than the survival of reared game birds.
We are coming on holiday to the highlands next week with the specific intent of seeing wildlife and sea eagles in particular 
Please act – our world depends on your actions
Respectfully yours

Dear First Minister and Cabinet Secretary
I have, this evening, been made aware of the appalling death – by poisoning – of the White-tailed Eagle, in the Cairngorms National Park.  I wanted to register my intense sadness at this – presumably deliberate – act against a beautiful and rare Scottish treasure of a bird.
May I urge you to do what you think is morally right to ensure this does not happen again to other valuable and much-loved birds of prey?  Banning driven grouse shooting and licensing all wildlife shooting would seem to be a good place to start and should, apart from some administrative cost (which could be covered by license fees), be low effort measures.  Whilst there is clearly going to be a pressure on public services in the aftermath of Covid, increasing police resources to tackle wildlife crime, I’m sure, would engender support from the public – particularly the Scottish common man and woman.
Thank you for considering my views.
Yours sincerely

Hello
I’ve just seen the photo provided by Scottish Police of the young white-tailed Eagle found poisoned on the grouse moors. Its a really tragic photo, one which I see on Twitter too many times of raptors killed over grouse moors. 
I’m not a political person I just love to see raptors in their habitats. I love Scotland and driving up the A7 to my sisters in the Borders and seeing the countryside change, the mountains and the birds. 
Can you do anything to tackle  this? The more you hear about the grouse moors the more it would seem that anything that isn’t a grouse that earns a few people money and status needs to be shot, poisoned , trapped,  you name it. Protecting the hares was wonderful, but how can we help these beautiful raptor from these painful terrible deaths at the hands of gamekeepers? Or how can you standback and not use your power to find out why and who? 
You are doing great work, can you stop the people who are doing this? 
Many thanks