Grouse game over

Abstract

Avery comments on grouse shooting. Blasting these birds as they are flushed out of the undergrowth on managed moorland estates has been big business for 150 years--a day's shoot can cost more than L5000. But this controversial field sport is looking endangered as evidence of its environmental impact mounts, and technology promises to curb wildlife crime. Grouse shooting damages ecosystems and the costs fall not on the shooters, but on the wider community--through water bills, home insurance premiums and, ultimately, climate change.