|
:''For the comic book series, see Guy Ritchie's Gamekeeper.'' A gamekeeper (often abbreviated to keeper) is a person who manages an area of countryside to make sure there is enough game for shooting, or fish for angling, and who actively manages areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland for the benefit of game birds, deer, fish and wildlife in general. Typically, a gamekeeper is employed by a landowner, and often in the UK by a country estate, to prevent poaching, to rear and release game birds such as common pheasants and French partridge, eradicate pests, encourage and manage wild red grouse, and to control predators such as weasels, to manage habitats to suit game, and to monitor the health of the game. ==United Kingdom== Today, some five thousand full-time gamekeepers are employed in the UK, compared to as many as 10,000 at the beginning of the 20th century.〔(National Gamekeeper's Organisation - About gamekeeping )〕 In addition, there are many people who spend their leisure time and money rearing game and maintaining habitats on their own small shoots. There are several variations in gamekeeping: * Lowland keepers: rearing pheasant and partridge and managing lowland habitats. * Upland keepers: managing moorland for grouse in upland areas. * Stalkers: keepers who specialise in the stealthy pursuit of deer, mainly in the uplands of Scotland. * Gillies/river keepers: keepers who manage rivers such as the River Spey for trout and salmon. Gamekeepers and country sports enthusiasts hold that gamekeeping is an essential part of countryside conservation. Two thirds of the UK rural landmass is managed for shooting. The shooting industry creates £1.6 billion. £250 million is spent on conservation as a result of shooting. The League Against Cruel Sports estimates some 12,300 wild mammals and birds are killed on UK shooting estates every day and sees gamekeepers as playing a key role in the destruction of wildlife.〔(League Against Cruel Sports - Consequences of the Shoot )〕 On the other hand, the shooting industry says that gamekeepers are vital wildlife conservation workers in the countryside.〔(BASC - The Gamekeeper: Professional Countryside Manager )〕 The National Gamekeeper's Organisation (NGO) claims that nine times as much of the British countryside is looked after by gamekeepers as is in nature reserves and National Parks.〔(National Gamekeepers' Organisation Charitable Trust )〕 The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has criticised the poisoning of birds of prey on some shooting estates. This is probably the most controversial of all topics surrounding the gamekeeper. However, this is now rarer than in its heyday, due to better knowledge of the ecology of birds of prey, and cases are generally condemned by the shooting community. The red kite is now widespread in England and Wales owing to persecution until recent years. It survived in South Wales and the increase in numbers was enhanced by controlled releases of birds in empty areas.〔(RSPB - Which birds are threatened )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Gamekeeper」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|