Highland Council decided today to renew Alladale Estate’s Dangerous Animals Licence despite objections from the Council’s own Access Officer and walking and mountaineering organisations. The licence relates to the keeping of captive elk and wild boar in fenced enclosures. The Estate also has a zoo licence pending which, if granted, will allow the keeping of wolves and other animals, in large enclosures with no general public access.

Highland Council’s Access Officer for Surtherland and Caithness, Matt Dent objected on the basis of concerns about the obstruction of access rights by the current scheme, following a complaint sent to Mr Dent by a mountaineer who had difficulty in descending from the hills past the enclosures.

Commenting on the renewal application, The Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s access and conservation officer Hebe Carus said, “It’s an important mountaineering area as the ridge on which the enclosures are on give access to a Corbett and some very good ground for hill walkers.

“Our members are also concerned about possible future expansion and plans for ever larger enclosures which we fear could end up with an application to remove access rights to the estate.”

Walkhighlands understands that various access issues regarding the current enclosures on the Alladale Estate currently remain unresolved.

This entry was posted on Monday, February 1st, 2010 at 10:53 pm and is filed under Access issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.