ANIMAL activists protesting against the traditional annual Guga hunt have cost the public more than £110,000 so far this year, it has emerged.
Islanders in Ness, north Lewis, have hit out at the “totally unacceptable” costs the Scottish Government has had to fork out in extra security following demonstrations at NatureScot’s headquarters in Inverness.
The Guga hunt has come under increasing scrutiny from campaigners, with growing public concern for animal welfare and conservation. It is now the last remaining bird hunt in the UK.
The public body, which is responsible for Scotland’s natural heritage, has ramped up its security following vandalism and menacing messages to its staff.
According to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request which examined the financial burden of the protests since the beginning of this year, more than £800,000 has been spent on “additional security” alone.
Between January and May, £84,708 was allocated to ramp up security, including an on-site guard, with another £6000 spent to repair damage to NatureScot’s headquarters while other costs covered legal fees and applying anti-climbing paint, according to The Scotsman.
NatureScot is responsible for licensing for the hunt, which has been an annual tradition in Ness since the 15th century, with 10 men setting out for the rocky island of Sula Sgeir 40 miles away.
The agency will decide whether or not the guga hunt can go ahead this year on August 3.
Young Gannets – Guga – are taken from open cliffs using a pole and noose, before being gutted, salted and preserved in brine.
Uninhabited by humans, Sula Sgeir is home to thousands of pairs of breeding Gannets.
Traditionally, the birds formed an essential part of the winter diet for the people of Ness, but guga is now regarded as a delicacy by some, although it is said to be an “acquired taste”.
In March, two anti-hunt activists, Jamie Moyes and Allan Jackson, spent around 60 hours on the roof of the NatureScot headquarters demanding the hunt be banned.
They were later arrested and charged with breach of the peace and culpable and reckless conduct.
NatureScot’s headquarters has also had its glass doors and windows smashed by campaigners, with graffiti also sprayed on the building.
Ness resident Lorna Thomson, who made the FOI inquiry, said she was “appalled” at the costs caused by the animal protests.
She said: “I wanted to understand the true impact that this nasty and abusive campaign and protest activity surrounding the guga hunt has had on the public purse.
“Like other people here, I was appalled by what it revealed, and we believe the actions that have led to these costs are totally unacceptable.
“As someone from Ness, I'm also deeply concerned by the level of hostility directed towards our community by people from far away who have no understanding of our island or our customs. People have every right to oppose the guga hunt and to campaign peacefully, but there is a clear difference between criticising a practice and vilifying an entire community.”
In March, activists protested outside the Scottish Parliament as a petition to end the guga hunt passed 100,000 signatures.
The protesters had tape over their mouths and held signs reading “Don’t silence us” as they raised concerns the petition would be delayed by the Holyrood election in May.
Agnes Rennie, chair of Urras Oighreachd Ghabhsainn, the local community estate for the north of Lewis, said: “It should not be a surprise that, as a community-owned land trust, we feel we should speak out in support of those families upholding a centuries-old tradition which is an important part of the cultural heritage of the area.
“The indigenous rights associated with such a rich heritage, and the families who uphold them, should not be threatened in the manner we have seen over recent months.”
Animal welfare campaigners at OneKind said the practice is “grisly” and “cruel”.
OneKind chief executive Jason Rose said: “Snatching wild baby birds from their nests and bashing their heads in, using the excuse of tradition, will appall and embarrass most people in the Western Isles and across Scotland.
“There is simply no need for this cruel activity to take place. We live in a modern society where we have many more choices about where our food comes from.
“The guga hunt is a grisly story from history that should be left in books or a museum.”
Last year the agency granted a licence allowing up to 500 birds to be killed, with a total of 485 culled at the 2025 hunt.
The killing of wild birds in Scotland is illegal. However, the guga hunt falls into a legal exemption in Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981), specifically allowing gannets to be taken from the island of Sula Sgeir for the purpose of human consumption, as per historical tradition.
