AUTHORITIES must be vigilant in enforcing new wildlife protections during this year’s grouse-shooting season, the Scottish Greens warned today.

Rural affairs spokeswoman Ariane Burgess spoke ahead of the first “Glorious Twelfth,” as the start of the season is known to hunters, since the introduction of the Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act in April. 

This legislation introduced a number of key protections, including a ban on the uncontrolled burning of old vegetation on Scottish uplands, legal protections for birds of prey and a licensing system for grouse-shooting.

Ms Burgess said: “There’s nothing ‘glorious’ about the killing of helpless animals. Yet, every year, we have seen this organised cruelty taking place across Scotland.

“I hope that this is the year that we will start to see change. We have had a huge step forward in wildlife protections, following the passing of legislation to end the lawless and bloody scenes that have become so common.

“This is the first year that these new laws will be used. We will all need to be vigilant and learn from their enforcement. 

“For decades, shooting estates have failed to control the killing of our iconic birds of prey and it is crucial that any estates found to be in breach of their obligations are held accountable.”

Ms Burgess insisted that Scotland’s “world-renowned” landscapes were “for all of us.”

“They are not, and must never be, a playground for a small number of wealthy shooters,” she said.

“It’s great to see the leadership of estates that have decided to move away from these barbaric practices.”