Three ethicists from the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics have published a new book questioning the justification for widespread predator control on Scottish moorlands. They argue that such practices primarily support the grouse shooting industry rather than genuine conservation efforts.
The book, The Ethics of Predator Control: A Scottish Case Study, is authored by Dr Katie Javanaud, Dr Clair Linzey, and the Revd Professor Andrew Linzey. Published by Routledge in 2025, it builds on an earlier report by the centre titled Killing to Kill, prepared for members of the Scottish Parliament and endorsed by over 120 scholars worldwide.
The authors contend that predator killings “serve the purpose of supporting the grouse-shooting industry rather than conservation.” They describe the appeal to conservation as “little more than a cover to continue the GWCT’s ‘management’ practices,” referring to the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), a prominent organisation advocating predator control in upland areas.
Official estimates indicate that up to 260,000 animals are killed annually through legal predator control practices in Scotland. Targeted species include foxes, weasels, stoats, rats, rabbits, crows, magpies, jackdaws, and jays. Non-targeted animals such as pine martens, hedgehogs, badgers, deer, hares, capercaillie, and raptors are also affected. Control methods involve traps, poisons, and, before recent legislative changes, snares, which are now banned. These techniques cause significant suffering, including prolonged distress from snares, days of suffering from poisons, and severe injuries from traps intended for quicker kills.
The authors critique the GWCT’s use of selected scientific literature to justify predator control. Their analysis suggests that such control more often achieves the primary objective of game managers (larger shooting bags) but less often the objective of conservation managers. This, they argue, exposes conservation claims as a pretext to maintain practices that benefit grouse shooting.
A notable concern is the unintended impact on protected or conservation-priority species. The authors note that 39% of animals caught in spring traps are non-targeted, including endangered species such as raptors and capercaillie, undermining claims that predator control benefits conservation.
The ethical implications are central to the book. Andrew Linzey states: “The suffering inflicted on animals in predator control represents a lacuna in moral thought.” Andrew Linzey adds: “We kill animals that kill out of necessity so that we can kill other animals for sport – the logic that could defend this position would have to be grotesque.”
The book aligns with broader discussions on animal sentience, suffering, and human responsibility, presenting the Scottish case as a model for examining similar practices elsewhere. It emerged from collaboration with organisations such as the League Against Cruel Sports, though the research remained independent.
The Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics is an independent organisation promoting ethical perspectives on animals through research, teaching, and publication. It has over 100 academic fellows. Dr Katie Javanaud is a fellow of the centre and has served as a visiting lecturer and researcher in the Department of Religion at Princeton University, affiliated with the University Centre for Human Values. Dr Clair Linzey is a research fellow in animal ethics at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford, and deputy director of the centre. Dr Clair Linzey authored Developing Animal Theology (Routledge, 2021). The Revd Professor Andrew Linzey is director of the centre. Professor Andrew Linzey held the world’s first post in theology and animals at the University of Oxford and has been a faculty member there for 28 years. His publications include Why Animal Suffering Matters (Oxford University Press, 2009).