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We're fighting to ensure the sheep of St Kilda are legally protected by the Scottish Government under the Animal Welfare (Scotland) Act.
Our charity, Animal Concern, was established 150 years ago, and has been campaigning for animals since 1876. We focus on the underdog issues that don't get as much attention, and on pressing the Scottish Government to improve legislation for the protection of animals.
Now, we are seeking support to challenge the Scottish Government on its decision to refuse protection of the sheep of St Kilda under the Animal Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.
Each year, hundreds of sheep on the island of St Kilda suffer a slow death by starvation. Read on to learn why.
The sheep were first brought to the island by villagers who settled on St Kilda hundreds of years ago, the sheep being managed by the villagers. When the villagers evacuated the island in 1930, they took the sheep with them. The island was bought by the Marquis of Bute and in 1932, the Marquis had 107 Soay sheep put back on the island, abandoned to become the feral sheep they now are. In 1957, St Kilda and all it's inhabitants was bequeathed to the National Trust for Scotland. Without any predators or management, within 20 years, the population grew from 107 to 1000. The most recent count has the population at over 2000.
What this means is that as the population increases, so increases the number of sheep that will die of starvation each winter, with up to 600 sheep enduring drawn out suffering with no intervention. Why? Because these sheep are on an island with limited carrying capacity, the sheep have no option to disperse to find new food sources, and because the Scottish Government insists the sheep be deemed wild, they are afforded none of the protection that the rest of the sheep in Scotland have under the Animal Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. These deaths are considered "natural", but there is nothing natural about sheep being brought to an island they could never have reached without human constructs and abandoned.
There is a moral obligation to address the high levels of winter starvation and the suffering these sheep ensure, as it is a situation they were placed in by humans.
We are therefore asking for funds to support the legal efforts to challenge the Scottish Government's assessment of the sheep of St Kilda and surrounding islands being wild and therefore not a responsibility they need to address.
The legal case is sound. All that's needed is the funds to drive it forward. This can be done with your help. Please fund these efforts to ensure these sheep are protected under Scottish law.
This project raises funds for a legal dispute. Neither Crowdfunder nor the project owner can guarantee its outcome, that it will be resolved, or that the amount raised will be enough to see it through. Even a favourable result may be appealed or overturned.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 11th December 2026 at 9:24pm