End barbaric guga hunt
The Scottish SPCA has spoken out against the tradition of guga hunting, branding the ancient practice whereby thousands of gannet chicks are beaten to death as barbaric and inhumane.
Every August men from Ness, on the Isle of Lewis, sail out to the island of Sula Sgeir to hunt and kill the birds in order to be eaten.
We have written to the Scottish Government asking that the licence that allows the practice to continue each year is revoked.
We believes the methods used in the annual cull, which takes place in late August, causes the birds unnecessary suffering and the charity is calling for the licence to be revoked on animal welfare grounds.
Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said. "The suffering starts before any attempt to kill takes place because the chicks are hauled from cliff tops using nooses attached to long poles, which in itself will terrify the birds.
"They are then struck on the head with a heavy implement until dead. A competent person may kill one or two birds outright with a single blow, but in our opinion most will take more than one blow to be killed.
"This has to be considered in the context of this particular species of bird as gannets have exceptionally strong necks and heavy skulls, which enable them to dive into the water for prey from very high heights and at great speeds."
Chief Supt Flynn continued, "We would expect other animal welfare and conservation organisations to be supportive of a move to bring to an end a barbaric and inhumane practice which causes unnecessary suffering to thousands of young gannets every year.
"Tradition is simply not an acceptable reason for maintaining such a practice.
"We accept that maybe 150 to 200 years ago the guga formed part of the staple diet of the islanders, but that is certainly no longer the case today, yet they are still using the same methods that were used all those years ago.
"It may be argued that the cull is sustainable or it simply doesn't matter because the gannet is not an endangered species, but these arguments are irrelevant when suffering is being caused.
"The killing of any animal must be carried out in the most humane manner possible and this practice has no place in modern society."