Fresh try for a bill to protect wild goat herd

A conservation group which failed in a bid to secure protected status for an ancient herd of wild goats is raising a fresh petition to take to the Scottish Parliament.

MSPs turned down an attempt by the Wild Goat Conservation Trust (WGCT) to gain protection for the animals roaming the moors between Langholm and Newcastleton in southern Scotland earlier this year.

A fresh petition would seek to introduce legislation creating a statutory closed season for shooting wild goats alongside a targeted licensing system for "high-impact culling".

WGCT chairman David Braithwaite said herd numbers had dropped over the years which was "worrying" and they wanted to take action.

Last year MSPs rejected a petition signed by nearly 22,000 people seeking protected status.

Landowners argued that there were too many goats and culling the herd would reduce their environmental impact.

Ultimately, the petitions committee concluded it had "no choice" but to reject the protection plea after the government agency NatureScot said the goats were not eligible because they were a non-native species.

Now the WGCT is consulting until 30 June on the content of a new draft petition to take back to the Scottish Parliament.

Braithwaite said the group felt it was worth making a fresh attempt to introduce some kind of protection for the goats.

"They are quite important, people love them and they actually can - in the right circumstances - make a positive contribution to nature conservation and the ecology of certain sites," he said.

A draft petition would seek the statutory licensing of high-impact culling and the creation of a closed season for wild goats in Scotland.

The WGCT said that would "support animal welfare, sustainable population management, and accountability in wildlife management".