and on Landward this morning....

[locum76]

... there was an article about a major cull of red deer that SNH is about to undertake on Rhum. The herd of 1200 will have to be reduced to about 400 in order to reforest the island successfully.

several research groups from cambridge and edinburgh universities were up in arms about it because they would lose their research grants for studying the family tree of the herd.

this seemed a little narrow minded to me. surely the SNH plan is going to be great for biodiversity on the island by creating a variety of habitats other than heavily grazed pasture.

it also reminded me of a previous thread about reintroducing bears, wolves and the like into scotland. perhaps aiming to trial this on one of scotlands smaller islands (Rhum is about 100 hectares) would be best. there would be no problem with upset farmers, anyone who visited the island would be warned of the likely dangers and (im not sure of the figures) perhaps the predators could help to maintain the deer population.

i'm just a bit curious to see if any of the rest of you have thoughts on this?

 

[Thorfinn]

Well it has to be done, but what you'll proble find is there will be more than one solution. I studied at an agricultural college and what they proble could do is take the number they want to get rid of and ship them onto the mainland or somewhere else. Kullin them is proble the cheapest way and the profitable. Don't get me wrong reforestation is high in my eyes.
As for reintroduction of Wolves, bears eyc i would back that 100% Britain would have been quite similier to canada at ome point and it's not wolves and bears that kill people it's stupidity that does cause in the end the animal will pay for the humans mistake

 

[leon-b]

but wouldnt it be too hot for bears and wolves ?
leon

 

[Eric_Methven]

but wouldnt it be too hot for bears and wolves ?
leon

Not really. If you brought them from the northern parts of Canada or Siberia they might find it a tad warm, but they would soon adapt. Their coats molt during the summer, and grow thick and lush in the winter (which is why hunters and trappers prefer winter to set their trap lines - so they get better quality pelts). Any wolves or bears introduced would grow their winter coats proportionate to the climate they found themselves in.

I think it would be an excellent idea. I'd pay decent money to go on a trip to one of the remoter islands that was stocked with deer, bear and wolf. The photo opportunities would be fantastic, and the revenue to the local communities wouldn't hurt either.

Eric

 

[gregorach]

There's more talk about the possible re-introduction of wolves to control deer numbers on the BBC today:

Wild wolves 'good for ecosystems'

 

[Burnt Ash]

As for reintroduction of Wolves, bears eyc i would back that 100% Britain would have been quite similier to canada at ome point and it's not wolves and bears that kill people it's stupidity that does cause in the end the animal will pay for the humans mistake

What do you suppose the human population of the British Isles was when bears and wolves last lived here in the wild? I'm not sure that Britain was ever "quite similar" to Canada. When was that then?
With current population and land use, bears and wolves could never be re-introduced into the wild here in Britain. It wouldn't be sensible or desirable on many counts. The only practicable method of managing deer populations is by humane stalking/shooting practices.

Burnt Ash

 

[locum76]

i still think it could be acheived on an island like rhum.

btw. this is kind of a duplicate of the following thread.

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=18609

its getting a wee bit confusing.

also, heres a scotsman editorial on the subject.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=161382007

 

[pothunter]

Bears arnt great hunters, and what happens when the bear population gets to great, Rhum is only a very small island.

We could have our own Kodiak island right on our doorstep, a few caribou to complete the job!

You can't successfully transport deer the casualty/death rate would be very high they don't do stress. And which deer impoverished part of GB would you relocate them to, Birmingham?

The best way to look at this is taking a sustainable harvest of a natural resource and enjoy the venison.

The problem has been greedy land owners who have charged far to much for stalking/hunting in the past and now don't want to pay for proper management, I hope the SNH send them the bill for doing the job and that we get to enjoy the rejuvenated forest.

Pothunter.

 

[locum76]

Bears arnt great hunters, and what happens when the bear population gets to great, Rhum is only a very small island.

i was more keen on the wolf thing but as with any predator prey relationship when the bear/wolf count gets to high and competion for food increases the predator population decreases followed by a new rise in the prey population. that kind of relationship can more or less sine wave on indefinitely. there might be a problem with a lack of scavengers to mop up the deceased but maybe buzzards and the like would move in to clear up.

The best way to look at this is taking a sustainable harvest of a natural resource and enjoy the venison.

good idea, wild venison sounds tasty to me.

The problem has been greedy land owners who have charged far to much for stalking/hunting in the past and now don't want to pay for proper management, I hope the SNH send them the bill for doing the job and that we get to enjoy the rejuvenated forest.

totally!

 

[pothunter]

How about reintroducing them as quarry species, thats a win win situation.

 

[Dingo]

wonder what they will do with the skins?