PRESS RELEASE

The call by the Scottish Wildlife Trust (SWT) for an extension to the hind stalking season to prevent what they call "inhumane suffering" has been rejected by SGA Chairman Alex Hogg as disingenuous.

Mr Hogg said: "The last thing these animals need at this stage is to be forced to use up their limited reserves of energy to flee from stalkers. The practical men on the ground understand their animals and many stalkers suspended the cull early this year to give the deer the best chance of surviving the rest of the winter.

"It's utterly ridiculous to believe that stalkers can go out and target an animal that's going to die of starvation without disturbing and stressing the rest of the herd. The deer need to conserve every last ounce of strength to survive this year and chasing them over large distances is nothing short of cruel."

In a statement the SWT said an extended cull would "help halt further damage to Scotland's environment".

Mr Hogg responded: "What the Scottish Wildlife Trust has done is expose the fact that it is prepared to sacrifice what the public have voted as Scotland's number one iconic species for the sake of a few more trees surviving on the hill. That is wholly unacceptable to the vast majority of people who care about our natural heritage.

"In most areas of the country deer numbers are in balance with the environment they inhabit. In some areas there are now too few deer and in others it's true, more need to be culled. But this is not the time to be disturbing our wild red deer. We have culling seasons in place for a good reason; to protect stags when they are exhausted from the rut, to protect pregnant hinds before the calve and to prevent the slaughter of weak animals which need peace to survive some of the most difficult conditions experienced in decades.

"We all want to see a rich natural environment and the trees the SWT want to protect are part of that. But they need to be well protected by secure deer fencing so that different land uses can work side by side without conflict."