The Wild Goat Conservation Trust (see https://www.twgct.co.uk/) has initiated a petition seeking legislation for ALL wild goats in Scotland to:
a) specify a closed season for any shooting to protect heavily pregnant and nursing females with kids. It is in response to extensive culling that was carried out in the Borders last year when goats were kidding. This would bring it into line with regulations already in existence for deer, including even non-native deer species. Currently goats can be shot at any time of year at the whim of the landowner risking young kids being left without a mother.
b) regulate extensive and high impact culling. We have seen the devastation this causes to the goats’ close social bonds, family groupings and hefting behaviour.
We recognise that management of goats is sometimes required and we are not seeking to prevent this, merely to campaign that it is carried out humanely. Additional background information if required is available on the petition website.
Please consider signing the online petition. And please circulate this message with the petition link as widely as possible to anyone who might be interested. The more signatures we can get the better! Success with this would be a significant achievement but we cannot do it alone so please share.
Thank you.