Anger after dead game birds dumped at beauty spot

The shooting and illegal dumping of game birds at a Borders beauty spot has sparked anger.

Dog walkers and ramblers made the grim discovery on Tuesday morning at the moorland car park above Lauder.

As well as about 20 pheasants, the carcasses of a number of ducks had also been discarded at the rural viewpoint.

Dog walker Caroline Barron said: "It was horrible to arrive at the car park and see all these dead birds scattered around."

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Shooting remains a popular sport on many estates around the Scottish Borders.

But the birds were found around a week after the season, which runs from August to January, had officially ended.

Mrs Barron, a former teacher, added: "The shooting season ends for a reason - these birds would have been readying themselves for breeding and laying eggs.

"There are organised shoots in the area during the season and there's no way they would just shoot indiscriminately like what has happened here.

"It's absolutely shocking that they have done this in the first place, but to then dump the birds like they have is beyond belief."

Within a couple of hours of the birds being found at the car park, a local gamekeeper offered to collect and dispose of the carcasses.

Various shooting and moorland management groups have since condemned the behaviour.

Mark Ewart from the Southern Uplands Moorland Group said: "We are infuriated by what has happened.

"This behaviour is inexcusable and undoes a lot of the good work that goes on within the shooting industry.

"We believe the birds may have been shot last week, before the season ended, but that doesn't excuse the way they have been discarded like this."

Scottish Borders Council's environmental services has been approached for a comment.