Kildrummy Estate bans all traps and snares and ends sport shooting

Owners of an estate used as field study in ‘Calculating Cruelty’ report announce plans to rewild and end wildlife persecution

Kildrummy was one of seven estates used as a case study for a groundbreaking mapping report published yesterday by the League Against Cruel Sports. ‘Calculating Cruelty’ is the culmination of a 15 month survey to map the location and frequency of traps and snares set on shooting estates to calculate the true extent of animal killing as a result of predator control to sustain the driven grouse shooting industry.

Kildrummy was recently bought by American couple Chris and Camille Bently, Directors of the Bently Foundation. The couple plan to rewild much of the estate, bringing it to a more natural state to create a better habitat for wildlife wherever possible.

Commenting on their decision to rewild and eradicate cruelty from their land Camille Bently said: "My husband and I oppose all forms of animal cruelty and abuse of wildlife as our family foundation focuses on grant making to wildlife protection causes worldwide. We have every intention for Kildrummy to operate at the highest ecological and wildlife conservation standards and to be a positive example of supporting a healthy, biodiverse environment while taking all possible measures to protect threatened species.

“We applaud the study done by The League Against Cruel Sports and support their mission to create greater transparency and accountability for the treatment of wildlife.”

Robbie Marsland, Director of the League Against Cruel Sports, Scotland added: “We were thrilled when the Bentlys got in touch to tell us their plans for Kildrummy and we’re obviously delighted that they share the League’s position on cruel traps, snares and game bird shooting.

“This is a hugely positive development after our mapping project illustrated the extent of wildlife suffering taking place every single day simply to maintain artificially high numbers of grouse for shooting. We hope other estates in Scotland will follow the excellent example set by the Bentlys at Kildrummy and they too end the industrial scale cruelty towards wildlife on Scotland’s driven grouse moors.” 

Between June 2018 and September 2019 a surveyor, with over 20 years experience of game management recorded the scale, distribution and use of legal grouse moor management equipment and practices on seven estates across Scotland, using the Scottish right to responsible access, the estates were walked and all ground was viewed so that the items being specifically surveyed were likely to be found. 

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