Gamekeepers praised as wildfires see wildlife lost

 

Teams of trained gamekeepers have helped prevent two Scottish wildfires from causing serious damage, with May temperatures soaring.

 

Around 20 gamekeepers from the Moorfoots, Pentlands and the fringes of the Lammermuir hills answered an SOS on Monday afternoon to attend an out-of-control fire in the Pentland Hills Regional Park near Edinburgh.

 

Six fire engines were mobilised by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, abetted by gamekeepers, who attended with three fogging units, leaf blowers and swipes.

 

While the joint effort, also assisted by neighbouring farmers, succeeded in extinguishing the fire, birds and nests were sadly scorched as the fire moved over the heather at speed.

 

Images taken show losses for local wildlife, with the cause of the wildfire still to be established. 

 

 

 

It is understood park rangers were called to extinguish several barbecues and fires over the course of the bank holiday weekend, with visitor numbers soaring due to the weather.

 

 

 

At one stage, attending crew considered calling a helicopter for assistance to douse the flames but the land managers had brought the fire under control.

 

“It was big fire and if the local estates hadn’t turned up with their equipment, the fire might have just run on. The area is known as the Black Hill and if the wind direction had changed it would have taken the whole hill out,” said one of the attending gamekeepers, Andy Buchan.

 

“The equipment was really important in getting the fire under control but it was such a shame to see the cost to the wildlife, when we looked back over the ground.”

 

 

 

Another wildfire took hold, in the Cairngorms National Park, on Tuesday near Lochan Mor.

 

Rothiemurchus Estate staff, the fire service and local gamekeepers from Kinveachy Estate managed to extinguish the flames before it engulfed the wider forest area.

 

The Park authorities recently introduced a new fire bylaw between 1^st April and 30^th September, which prohibits fires and barbecues.

 

 

 

“With hot weather and changing fire seasons in Scotland, gamekeepers will have an increasing role to play in protecting people and property.

 

“We are proud of what our members do, using their skills and knowledge to help, where they can,” said Scottish Gamekeepers Association Chairman, Alex Hogg, MBE.