12th August 2025
A large contingent of sabs from across the country saved the lives of hundreds of red grouse today on the ‘Glorious Twelfth’, as shoots were stopped in the Forest of Bowland and the Yorkshire Dales.
A crack team of spotters were out early doors scouring England’s uplands in search of men with guns. It wasn’t long at all before a walked-up shoot was seen at Bowland Knotts in Lancashire. The call went out and soon after the moor was filled with sabs. Knowing the game was up, the shooters trudged back to their vehicles – their day over before a shot was fired.
The grouse population remains lower than usual across the country, with many shoots delaying the start of the season and cancelling days throughout it. This was plain to see in the Forest of Bowland with large estates not shooting on the so-called ‘Glorious Twelfth’.
Happy that the shooters had retired to the pub for the day, sabs headed into the Yorkshire Dales – another hotspot for wildlife persecution. A larger driven shoot was sighted in Coverdale on a moor owned by Saudi Prince Khalid Abdullah and an intrepid crew of sabs engaged them, forcing them off the tops to pack up early.
Once again, the HSA smashed the shoots on what was once a prestigious day for wealthy animal abusers.