FROM PROTECT THE WILD — SCOTS TO CONSIDER GUGA HUNT AFTER MAY — ITS A SLOW GRIND!

Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more Guga hunt petition carried into next Parliament as pressure mounts on NatureScot ROB POWNALL JAN 21 READ IN APP Photo taken at Protect the Wild’s demonstration today outside the Scottish Parliament calling for an end to the Guga hunt Today, Protect the Wild returned to Edinburgh for another protest outside the Scottish Parliament as Rachel Bigsby’s petition calling for an end to the licensing of the Guga hunt on Sula Sgeir reached a critical stage. While the Scottish Government confirmed it has no plans to amend Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, the committee made the significant decision to shortlist the petition as one of the few that will remain open and carry over into the next Parliament, due to the Scottish elections taking place this May. That matters. The committee explicitly conceded that it did not have enough time to properly debate or scrutinise the issue before the election. In political terms, that is a semi-victory. The petition wasn’t dismissed, parked, or closed down. It was recognised as too important to rush, and that acknowledgement alone speaks volumes about the level of public concern. The petition, started by nature photographer Rachel Bigsby (speaking below) and supported by Protect the Wild, calls for an end to the annual licensing of the Guga hunt, a practice that involves killing young gannets just weeks before they would fledge. While defenders frame it as tradition, the reality is that it is increasingly impossible to justify at a time when seabirds are under severe pressure from avian influenza, climate breakdown, and declining food availability. That concern deepened further when a licence was granted in 2025 despite bird flu affecting the colony. The Scottish Government’s refusal today to change the law is deeply disappointing, but it does not mean future hunts are inevitable. Far from it. The power now sits squarely with NatureScot, which must decide each year whether to grant a licence and whether doing so is compatible with the long-term stability of the Sula Sgeir gannet population. Based on the available evidence, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how any robust assessment could honestly conclude that continued killing is compatible with that duty. The RSPB has already highlighted that the number of breeding birds on Sula Sgeir fell by 23% between 2021 and 2023, with highly pathogenic avian influenza the suspected cause. It has called for the licensing of the hunt to be paused until populations recover to pre-HPAI levels and disease risk falls from Very High to at least Medium. Add to that the welfare concerns inherent in killing young birds before they have even left the nest, and the case for caution becomes overwhelming. Public opinion is unequivocal. The petition has now passed 80,000 signatures, making it one of the most supported petitions since the Scottish Parliament’s system was introduced in 2004. A FindOutNow survey commissioned by Protect the Wild in late 2025 found that 72% of people do not believe the hunt is culturally important, and 69% believe it should be banned outright. So while today’s debate didn’t deliver legislative change, it did something else just as important. It drew a clear line. From this point on, no one can claim this issue hasn’t been scrutinised, challenged, or opposed at scale. More people than ever before are now aware about the Guga hunt and share our desire to see it ended. Today’s events were covered yet again by the BBC and some of Scotland’s biggest papers (The Scotsman and The Herald). As brilliantly put by Devon Docherty from Animal Concern, today very much marks day one of a renewed and focused campaign calling on NatureScot to withdraw the licence. The question it must now answer is simple. Will it continue to permit the killing of young gannets while the colony has yet to properly recover from avian flu and other threats, or will it continue to allow this senseless slaughter to continue. A clear majority of people already know the answer. SIGN THE PETITION TO NATURESCOT Be part of a growing movement backing Protect the Wild Protect the Wild is independent by design. We don’t take money from corporations, industry bodies, or political interests. Everything we do - undercover investigations, hard-hitting animations, fearless journalism, reports, and campaigns — is powered by thousands of ordinary people giving a few pounds a month. Whether it be shutting down the Guga hunt and ending hunting with hounds or taking on the bird shooting industry and speaking out for Badgers in the campaign to end the cull. If you believe British wildlife deserves defenders who won’t compromise become a monthly supporter today. Become a Monthly Supporter SHARE LIKE COMMENT RESTACK © 2026 Protect the Wild Protect the Wild, 71-75 Shelton Street Covent Garden, London, W2CH 9JQ Unsubscribe Start writing