Rachel Bigsby Protests at Scottish Parliament To End Guga Hunt as Public Support Reaches Record Levels
- Jan 11
- 3 min read
Updated: Jan 18
A protest organised by Rachel Bigsby and Protect The Wild calling for an end to the Guga hunt has been held outside the Scottish Parliament as public support for Rachel's landmark petition continues to grow.
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The demonstration brought together conservationists, campaigners and members of the public to urge MSPs to remove the legal exemption that allows the killing of Gannet chicks on the island of Sula Sgeir; as Rachel's petition calling for full legal protection for the colony approaches historic levels of public backing, with more than 24,000 people now signed up in support. The guga hunt is permitted under a specific loophole in the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which denies the Sula Sgeir colony the same legal protections afforded to Gannets elsewhere in Scotland. This has come under increasing scrutiny following the catastrophic impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, which has led to severe population declines across Scottish seabird colonies.
Rachel said the protest reflected growing public concern about the future of one of Scotland’s most iconic species.
“Scotland holds some of the most internationally important Gannet colonies on Earth, yet one of them is still excluded from the basic protections that apply everywhere else. After the devastating losses caused by avian influenza, the continued licensed bludgeoning of Gannet chicks on Sula Sgeir cannot be justified by conservation, science or animal welfare standards. This is not about erasing cultural history. It is about ensuring that our wildlife laws reflect the reality of the crisis these birds are now facing.”
Recent analysis of population data has shown that the Sula Sgeir colony is now below its official conservation threshold, making it the only Special Protection Area for gannets in Scotland to fall beneath its citation level. Modelling by NatureScot indicates that even the current reduced quota for the hunt does not allow for meaningful recovery of the population, particularly in the face of future disease outbreaks, climate pressures and offshore wind development. A new public poll commissioned by Protect the Wild also indicates that support for the hunt is limited, with a clear majority of those expressing an opinion saying it should be brought to an end.
With the Scottish Parliament set to consider the petition on January 21st 2026, Rachel says the coming weeks will be critical. The petition is just 8,000 (at the time of writing) signatures away from making the petition the most signed in the history of the Scottish Parliament’s platform, a milestone that would significantly increase pressure on the Scottish Government's decision.
“The public has been clear, the people want Scotland to lead on conservation, not hide behind outdated legal loopholes. The Gannets of Sula Sgeir deserve the same protection as every other Gannet in this country.”
The petition calls on the Scottish Government to amend the Wildlife and Countryside Act to remove the exemption that allows Gannet chicks to be killed on Sula Sgeir, bringing the site into line with conservation protections applied elsewhere.
Please, consider adding your voice and changing their fate.
To read and sign the petition, visit: https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2202
