Bringing back Britain's large carnivores

[21st century pict]

Dream on! We can’t even protect the species we have left from habitat loss, Britain has already lost around 97% of its native wildlife, and there’s only about 3 to 9% of the native Caledonian forest left ,so let’s not get picky with the Grey Wolf why not Brown Bears, lynx, Beach Marten. I was in a cave in Incnadamph that's NW Scotland where there was a polar bear skull found,so how far do you want to go back?

See list of extinct animals of the British Isles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_the_British_Isles

 

[John Fenna]

A number of years ago the wolves from our local "Wildlife Park" escaped.
Despite being in countryside full of sheep, cows, pets and idiots they were easily hunted down and killed ... most were trying to get home, cold wet and hungry as they had no idea of how to hunt!

 

[treadlightly]

See list of extinct animals of the British Isles
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_extinct_animals_of_the_British_Isles

It's the number of insects, moths and butterflies that we have lost, all in the last 100 years or so, which is perhaps most shocking.

 

[Niels]

Wolves are actually coming back to NL on their own. There has been an unproved but commonly accepted sighting of a single wolf in Duiven, at the German border. They'll have a lot of highways to cross though before they reach me, as my country is even more urban and more crowded than yours.

 

[Harvestman]

It's the number of insects, moths and butterflies that we have lost, all in the last 100 years or so, which is perhaps most shocking.

I agree, but don't take that list as gospel. The Small Ranunculus moth has had a thriving population near Newport in South Wales for the last 10 years, but local conservation bodies have been unable to gain any protection for it as it is still officially recorded as extinct. I know the man who re-discovered the moth, and have seen the caterpillars myself. The population is growing steadily and slowly spreading out too.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Wolves are actually coming back to NL on their own. There has been an unproved but commonly accepted sighting of a single wolf in Duiven, at the German border.

Yes I've heard that too....http://www.buvettedesalpages.be/2011/09/le-loup-est-de-retour-aux-pays-bas.html

 

[Andy BB]

I think we should stop the killing of billions of defenceless animals every day by the vicious and cruel chemical companies. Destroy all antibiotics and save the bacteria!

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I think we should stop the killing of billions of defenceless animals every day by the vicious and cruel chemical companies. Destroy all antibiotics and save the bacteria!

Oh dear..................you're not supposed to drink it Andy, it's for external use only.

 

[Tengu]

What use are they?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

What use are they?

Do you mean to nature or humanity.?

 

[Buggane]

I'm all for whatever can be done to save the scottish wild cat but as for the wolf and bear, no chance. even the reintroduction of wild pigs is a bit iffy as for the damage they could cause. But i'm definitely pro replanting of woodland, naturally managed by grazing deer etc however I have no idea who would pay for that!

 

[21st century pict]

It's the number of insects, moths and butterflies that we have lost, all in the last 100 years or so, which is perhaps most shocking.

Aye your spot on treadlightly, and a lot more in immediate threat of extinction, if we haven’t enough habitat for butterflies where are we going to find enough space for a pack of wolves without replanting vast areas of Caledonian forests, No habitat, no biodiversity, no sustainable food source. Anything less is just a zoo.

I agree, but don't take that list as gospel. The Small Ranunculus moth has had a thriving population near Newport in South Wales for the last 10 years, but local conservation bodies have been unable to gain any protection for it as it is still officially recorded as extinct. I know the man who re-discovered the moth, and have seen the caterpillars myself. The population is growing steadily and slowly spreading out too.

That’s fare enough, but that's only one example, and how many unsuccessful attempts have there been to reintroduce butterflies to their former habitats in England?...

 

[Llwyd]

There is not enough wild space left. The genetic diversity would be so limited that you would have a very sick population in no time. There would need to be habitat in a variety of locations and wild corridors between them to allow migration routes and genetic exchange. Any introduced animals would not discover the corridors but would instead follow the path of least resistance into farm land and be shot. The first human killed would spark cries for outright extermination as well.

Any introduced animals would be managed and farmed by "game keepers" the same as everything else in the UK. It seems the British population cannot tolerate any species that is not viewed as a resource.

Not to worry though. They will return on their own when the system fails and human population is not importing food but producing it locally thus reducing the overall population. Until then go visit them in Scandinavia or Canada.

 

[rik_uk3]

Its a wonderful ideal but sadly its in noway practical. The likes of Wolves and Bears are still in the wild and you just have to travel further than Scotland or Wales to see them for real (if you can find them 'for real' that is).

We are a small island with lots of folks, as the song said, "This town ain't big enough for the both of us".

 

[Bushwhacker]

What's to say there aren't a few apex predators out there already?

 

[Harvestman]

That’s fare enough, but that's only one example, and how many unsuccessful attempts have there been to reintroduce butterflies to their former habitats in England?...

Quite. My point was that in that particular example, the creature was not extinct in the UK after all. However, overall, the numbers are probably much worse than that list indicates.

I remember efforts to reintroduce the Large Blue butterfly into East Anglia. The biggest and most successful reintroduction site was torn up to build a car park, and the conservationists try to claim that this was a good thing because it made the remaining sites even more valuable . We just don't have enough ecological understanding for reintroductions of most things.

 

[Toddy]

Any introduced animals would be managed and farmed by "game keepers" the same as everything else in the UK. It seems the British population cannot tolerate any species that is not viewed as a resource.

Not to worry though. They will return on their own when the system fails and human population is not importing food but producing it locally thus reducing the overall population. Until then go visit them in Scandinavia or Canada.

Firstly, not so.

Secondly, only if they manage to swim the 22 miles across the Channel......we're on islands here, mind ?

Toddy

 

[Llwyd]

Didn't you guys build a tunnel a while back?

 

[blacktimberwolf]

What's to say there aren't a few apex predators out there already?

Indeed

 

[Toddy]

Didn't you guys build a tunnel a while back?

Uhuh, and it's used by trains. If the world goes to hell in a handbasket the tunnels will flood; they're below sealevel and there are pumps running. No power, no pumps.
No pumps, and I don't think wolves and bears can hold their breath for 31.4 miles.

Seriously, we really are Islanders. Ireland's flora and fauna is slightly more limited than that of Great Britain because it seperated from the continental massif before GB. Ours is limited because the seperation happened when sea levels and lands rose as the ice from the last ice age melted, and the recolonisation by plants, animals and amphibians hadn't progressed this far.

The only way the apex predators could return to the British Isles is either man brings them here, or the sea levels fall by enormous amounts.

cheers,
Toddy