Today we published our report, Animal Welfare and the Guga Hunt. In it, we look into the Scottish Government claim that the guga hunt is 'humane'.

Since the guga hunt recommenced last year, we have been working constructively towards ending it. As part of that, we would have liked to conduct an animal welfare impact assessment of the hunt. However, as it happens on a remote island with no oversight, that makes it difficult to properly assess the welfare impact, as there are so many unknowns. What we do know is enough to give cause for concern about welfare - over and above our ethical objections. This blog is a summary of the report. You can read the full report here. 

The law

Animal welfare and wildlife laws are currently failing to protect lots of different animals, as our campaigns point out. Too much suffering has been normalised and allowed to continue, for farmed, wild and companion animals.  More specifically, we have consistently raised concerns about the way a range of wild animals are captured and killed, all completely legally. Most similar to the guga hunt is the trapping of crows and other birds, as they are killed in a similar way to the guga. Our report points this out and emphasises that, while we want to see immediate action to end the guga hunt, it must be only the first step in strengthening legal protection for all animals.

The licence

The guga hunt is permitted under licence by an exemption in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which otherwise protects all wild birds. There are other exceptions, for purposes such as "wildlife management" or conservation, but the guga hunt is the only licensable killing for food for human consumption. With other purposes, the law states that a licence should only be given if there is no other satisfactory solution. That is not the case for the guga hunt, meaning that NatureScot is likely to grant a lience if it is applied for, unless there is a risk to the population level. The 1981 Act does not create a process for NatureScot to properly consider animal welfare as part of its licensing decisions.

Disturbance

Even before the birds are captured, the presence of people moving through the colony will disturb birds of various species, as well as the gannets themselves. As Sula Sgeir is uninhabited, these birds are not accustomed to people coming close to their nests. This can cause them fear and other negative emotions, such as disorientation due to light disturbance. Adults may not be able to feed chicks regularly or abandon their nests, so that chicks starve. 

Capture

The men use a noose or grasper on a pole to take hold of the guga by their necks and lift them out of their nests. This method is also used by others, for example bird ringers or people carrying out research. However, there is very little research about how this impacts the birds. The Scottish Government has stated that this method does not cause any harm, but appears to be relying on scientific papers that are 35 years old. All methods should be regularly assessed using modern animal welfare frameworks, and changed if necessary. Aside from the method itself, recent research papers state that any capture and handling will be threatening and panic inducing for wild birds, and must be considered as a welfare harm. 

Killing

Guga are killed by being hit on the head with a stick. Manual blunt force trauma can sometimes provide acceptable welfare at the time of killing. However, so many things can affect the outcome that is always carries some risk. For people working on or near cliffsides and killing lots of birds rapidly, the potential for ineffective stunning is likely to increase. Authorities like the Humane Slaughter Association note that if ineffective this method would cause extreme suffering, and warm against using it. 

Social, feeling beings

Our report also highlights that it is clear that humans have underestimated other species' emotions and capacities for too long. There is increasingly evidence that interrupting animals' social relationships and cultures causes them welfare harm, and that many species experience complex emotions like grief. We urge decision makers to be open to the capabilities and emotions of other species that are not yet fully evidenced, and apply the precautionary principle when making decisions affecting sentient beings. 

What next?

We are calling for the Scottish Government to remove the provision in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 that allows the guga hunt. You can help by taking our action.