I guess I could blame growing up and living in a city but that hasn't stopped others. For example, I'm continually amazed at Crafty Green Poet's ability to name birds along the Water of Leith. The first time I saw a heron there, I pointed, stammered and backed away as far as I could, convinced I'd discovered a pterodactyl living amongst us.
There used to be two things of which I was certain: the Asians killed sharks just for their fins, and the Canadians shot seals. Both practices I find barbaric, but I always felt remote from them. After all, they were on the other side of the planet and that sort of thing could never happen in Scotland.
Little did I know that Scottish fishermen were making a fortune cutting the fins off sharks to sell to Asia, and seals were regularly shot in Scottish waters.
It's not a nice feeling, having your moral high ground whipped away from under you!
Sharks can breathe easier, though - finning is to be banned outright in Scottish waters, and there is pressure being put on the EU as a whole to ban the practice throughout the continent.
As for the shooting of seals, they'll have to wait a while. The Marine (Scotland) Bill starts it's way through parliament today, and the Scottish Green Party have introduced an amendment which would see the shooting of seals banned during breeding season.
It's a start, but I'm now wondering what else goes on in this country that I'm blissfully unaware of. Do we have our own version of The Cove? Does the Grassmarket get turned into a bullfighting arena every Saturday night?
Photo by me!
Photo by me!
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