TODAY is probably the most inaptly named day in the Scottish calendar, with shooters taking to the grouse moors to celebrate the Glorious Twelfth.

Frankly, there is nothing less glorious than individuals, many of whom are untrained and inexperienced, invading the countryside to kill or injure wildlife which is managed solely for this purpose. Yet year after year the start of the grouse shooting season is still referred to as ‘glorious’.

The Glorious Twelfth may well be awaited with great anticipation by the small minority who seek pleasure in arming themselves with lethal weapons to spend a day causing stress, injury and suffering to one of Scotland’s iconic species.

However, as gamekeepers and land managers prepare for the season, the suffering inflicted on wildlife in many cases surpasses the shooting itself.

Much of the land around shoots will be littered with snares – thin wire traps which silently garrotte their victims with no discrimination between intended and unintended targets.

It is quite staggering that in this day and age such cruelty is legally acceptable and I would urge readers to support OneKind in our campaign to end the suffering caused by snares and by the commercial shooting industry more widely.

JOHN BRADY, CEO, OneKind.