A gamekeeper (often abbreviated to keeper), or in case of those dealing with deer (deer-)stalker, is a person who manages an area of countryside (e.g. areas of woodland, moorland, waterway or farmland) to make sure there is enough game for shooting and stalking, or fish for angling, and acts as guide to those pursuing them. Description Typically, a gamekeeper is employed by a landowner or 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. Today, some three thousand full-time gamekeepers are employed in the UK, compared to as many as 25,000 at the beginning of the 20th century. 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: Stalkers: keepers who specialise in the stealthy pursuit of deer, mainly in the uplands of Scotland. Lowland keepers: rearing pheasant and partridge and managing lowland habitats. Upland keepers: managing moorland for grouse in upland areas. Gillie/river keepers: keepers who manage rivers such as the River Spey for trout and salmon. The most senior individual dealing with wildlife on a particular estate is often called the headkeeper or headstalker. However the spellings head keeper and head stalker are much more common. 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. Training Some colleges in the UK now offer courses in gamekeeping up to and including diploma level. Two of these include the Northern School of Game and Wildlife at Newton Rigg, Cumbria and Myerscough College, Lancashire. The Elmwood Campus of SRUC (Scotland's Rural College) in Cupar, Fife is Scotland's main gamekeeping college. The main campus for attaining both NC and HNC levels in gamekeepeing for south Scotland is borders college. Easton and Otley college: Easton Campus also provides a course on gamekeeping level 2 and 3. Scottish Gamekeepers Association In 1997, as a result of months of adverse media criticism of gamekeepers, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) was formed with