Five men have been arrested in connection with hare coursing in rural Perthshire.
The group, from Aberdeen and Kinross, were captured at a roadside service station on the outskirts of Perth following complaints from members of the public.
Police responded to reports of men allegedly hunting with dogs in Kinclaven and near Auchterarder on Sunday.
A force spokesman said: “They were identified as being the same group, and were stopped and arrested at Broxden services later that day.
“They have all been charged, and subsequently released to be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.”
The men, aged 19, 20, 22, 31 and 41, are expected to appear in court in the coming months.
Hare coursing is the pursuit and hunting of hares using greyhounds, lurchers or similar types of dogs.
It has been illegal in Scotland since the introduction of the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002, and in the rest of the UK since February 2005.
Police Scotland has urged anyone with information about hare coursing in the local area to get in touch.
An appeal on social media stated: “If you see groups with dogs in fields or open areas that you believe may be hare coursing, please call and tell us.
“Even if we don’t succeed in apprehending them at the time, all information given to us helps to build our intelligence profiles of who is doing this, and where and when it is happening.”
