greylag goose

Reports have been circulating of  geese being left injured when hunters have been out shooting in Orkney. This has occurred during the Open Season and is not part of the licensed cull of geese which is regulated by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH).

The number of licenses issued by SNH for shooting as part of the official cull has declined since the high of 2015.

The number of licenses issued  was:

• 2014 – 23
• 2015 – 40
• 2016 – 30
• 2017 – 25

Commenting on the incidents of geese being left injured in the Open Season SNH issued the following statement:

“We’re sorry to hear that injured geese have been left by commercial shooting parties on mainland Orkney. This is contrary to the code of practice on wildfowling drawn up by the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC), which is quite clear about the need to make sure that all birds that are shot are picked up by a trained dog and that injured birds are dispatched.

 “The irresponsible behaviour reported brings the whole shooting community into disrepute. More importantly it causes unnecessary suffering for the birds and puts the future of goose shooting at risk.”