Protest at Holyrood Urges Scottish Government to End the Guga Hunt

I am still buzzing from yesterday because it really feels like some momentum is building to end the Guga hunt

Yesterday afternoon, outside the Scottish Parliament, that feeling became tangible.

As people passed by Holyrood going about their Saturday, around 60 of us gathered peacefully with banners, placards, and a shared sense that something is finally shifting. For an hour and a half, we stood together demanding the Scottish Government listen to Rachel Bigsby’s petition, scrap Section 16 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and end the Guga hunt once and for all.

Yesterday’s protest wasn’t about noise or spectacle. It was about a symbolic presence and a reminder that we aren’t going anywhere until this archaic “hunt” is brought to an end.. About telling the truth calmly and clearly, and that’s exactly what we did.

The Guga hunt targets gannet chicks, birds killed just weeks before they would fledge and take their first flight. During a tightly defined two-week period each year, chicks are captured using a pole designed to clamp around the neck, hoisted from nesting sites, and killed with a blow to the head.

This is what is still being licensed in modern Scotland.

Supporters defend the hunt on the grounds of tradition. But tradition is not a free pass to cause suffering, especially when the original justification no longer exists. Guga meat is no longer necessary for survival, while seabird populations are under increasing pressure from climate change, overfishing, habitat loss, and disease.

That contradiction was impossible to ignore yesterday, particularly in light of the decision to grant a licence in 2025 even while avian influenza was affecting the Sula Sgeir gannet colony. A decision that raises serious concerns about welfare, biosecurity, and basic common sense.

For the past few months, we’ve been backing wildlife photographer Rachel Bigsby’s government petition to end the Guga hunt, which will be considered by the Scottish Parliament on 21 January. This is what Rachel had to say on the day:

Protect the Wild organised yesterday’s protest because silence is exactly what allows cruelty to continue. Decisions made by NatureScot and the Scottish Government don’t exist in theory, they have real-world consequences for real animals.

The Guga hunt is indefensible in a country that claims to value nature, compassion, and evidence-based decision-making. Allowing it to continue, particularly during a period of disease affecting seabird populations, is a failure of responsibility.

Speaking on behalf of Scottish based charity Animal Concern, Devon Docherty explained why she attended the protest yesterday.

Above all else, yesterday showed us something important: people care. Awareness is spreading. And the idea that this practice should continue unchallenged is starting to crack.

This won’t be the last time we stand up for these birds.

Thank you to everyone who stood with us yesterday and to everyone who continues to stand with wildlife even when it’s uncomfortable.

The birds need us. And this time, it really does feel like the tide is turning.

If you haven’t already done so, please sign Rachel Bigsby’s Govt petition calling for an end to the Guga hunt. It is on track to become the most signed petition in the history of the platform but only if we all rally behind it over the coming days.

A huge huge thank you to every single person who showed up yesterday in the very cold conditions! And a big shoutout to Rachel Bigsby for starting the Govt petition, Craig O’Donnell for taking the wonderful photos in this email, Kevin from Humane Wildlife Solutions for wearing the fantastic Gannet costume (huge thanks to Mandy C for lending this to us!)

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I cannot wait for what we can achieve together for animals in 2026

I’m genuinely excited about the campaigns and work we have coming up in 2026. For the first time in a long time, I feel truly optimistic about the wins we can deliver for British wildlife.

In just a few weeks, we’ll be releasing the largest undercover investigation into the bird shooting industry ever conducted in the UK. Alongside that, we’re taking the fight to end the Guga hunt, pushing to finally bring an end to hunting with hounds, challenging the last remaining badger cull licence, and launching a new national campaign to expose and end bird netting. We’ll also be taking on the pest control industry to push for humane alternatives, producing 20 hard-hitting animations across a wide range of issues, hosting demonstrations, and reaching millions of people every month on social media.

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