Great Britain’s Real Glorious Twelfth 2012
Animal welfare charity calls for Olympic closing ceremony to mark the real Glorious Twelfth not the inglorious and outdated tradition of the grouse shooting season.
As Great Britain celebrates its gold medal triumphs at Sunday’s Olympic closing ceremony, away from the spotlight shooting fanatics will be taking to the moors in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the north of England for the official start of the grouse shooting season, a gruesome spectacle of animal abuse.
London 2012 has witnessed numerous medals won for Great Britain. This year, the League Against Cruel Sports is calling for this celebration to be known as 2012’s real Glorious Twelfth, not that traditionally known to glorify the onslaught of the mass slaughter of birds by paying guns.
Joe Duckworth, chief executive of the League Against Cruel Sports said: “It beggars belief that a practice so barbaric in its entirety is allowed to continue in this day and age.
“There is nothing glorious about this blood sport. Each year, from August to December, picturesque moorlands are invaded by groups of men and even children armed with guns, having paid for the ‘pleasure’ of shooting and injuring thousands of terrified birds. The cruelty associated with grouse shooting doesn’t stop there, other wildlife including badgers, foxes, deer and even our much loved pets are killed or injured through the use of snaring and other predator control used by the industry to protect game stocks. The fact that the grouse numbers are depleted this year simply means that a higher percentage of the population will be killed, which may affect long term population recovery.”
The League Against Cruel Sports’ recent exposé of the game-shooting industry highlights the reality of commercial shooting away from the spin and propaganda peddled by the industry. Further information and the film can be found here: http://www.league.org.uk/content/300/Shooting.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
1. The “Glorious Twelfth” officially starts on Sunday 12th August, shooting will not start until Monday 13th August. Under the Game Act 1831 England and Wales, it is an offence for any person to kill or take game on a Sunday or Christmas Day. There are no statutory restrictions in Scotland but it is customary not to shoot game on Sundays. Grouse cannot be shot on Sundays in Northern Ireland under the Game Preservation Act (Northern Ireland) 1928.
Please contact the League’s Press Office on 01483 524250 (24hrs) with any queries, or email press@league.org.uk.