MORE than a quarter of a million animals are killed each year on Scottish shooting estates to allow grouse to thrive so they can then be shot for the blood “sport,” a report revealed today.

The League Against Cruel Sports (LACS) found that 260,000 animals were killed each year in an attempt to totally eradicate foxes, stoats, weasels and crows to increase the number of grouse for so-called sport shooting. 

In its report Calculating Cruelty, the campaign group found that 57,000 killing devices are deployed each day in Scotland.