Bringing back Britain's large carnivores

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Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,979
4,625
S. Lanarkshire
Really ? What got through ? I would think that anything that used to manage to travel by ship would manage, well, at least while the pumps run, but I really, really don't think that a breeding population of wolves or bears would manage it.

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. I knew that when the tunnel was commissioned that there were huge efforts made to stop rabies entering the UK from feral animals.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/10/news/10iht-rabid.html
"the world's most elaborate anti-rabies shield.

"We thought of everything," said Anthony Crowley, the rabies expert who designed the shield. In addition to beefed-up customs facilities to check passengers and cargo, Mr. Crowley also put in place a system of physical barriers to keep wild animals from traversing the tunnel. That system begins with a steel mesh fence, about 10 feet high and buried two feet into the soil, completely ringing the tunnel terminals in Folkestone, England, and Calais, France. It ends with an electrified cattle grid inside the tunnel itself. All of these barriers were tested not merely on rats, cats, dogs, and foxes - the presumed rabies-carrying interlopers - but also on rabid members of those species since they are known to behave more aggressively.
 
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tomongoose

Nomad
Oct 11, 2010
321
0
Plymouth
Reintroducing the apex predators always gets the attention as does saving them abroad but the bottom of the food chain is much more important. Look at the problems there have been to small bird numbers with the increased protection of birds of prey. You need to build up the entire food chain first and as others have mention we just don't have the space. They have problems in america with the wolves spreading out from Yellowstone which is 898,317 hectares in comparisson Dartmoor is heavily farmed and only 953 hectares
 

rik_uk3

Banned
Jun 10, 2006
13,320
24
69
south wales
I will take your word for it. I just watched a documentary recently about animals going through the tunnel. It was probably wrong.

Some may well do but not a lot of Wolves running around North West France and if things went all Pete Tong the Chunnel would have flooded by the time Wolves had migrated and somehow gained access I would guess. At the moment controls are pretty tight, the UK is rabies free, but France is not so I very much doubt a dog would get through in normal times.
 

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I agree with you all about the insects. Food chain issues which work all the way up to large carnivores (including us!) and which are steadily getting more and more out of balance. Just in my lifetime it's become very bad and gone to far for humans to rectify without something enormous to make the change. I missed about the car park, Mike, that is really horrific to me.
 

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
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!

I wonder if Shaun Ellis' wolves would do better?
 

Elen Sentier

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
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

I've been in that cave too :) - good in'it and the views ...
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,979
4,625
S. Lanarkshire
Is that what this is about ? Devon council has refused *retrospective* planning for his wolf centre, so presumably he's looking at new places as well as trying to get the council to back down.

Can't see anywhere else in the UK being all that chuffed at a wolf pack arriving on their doorsteps, tbh. :dunno: and most animal parks already have their own.
Besides, are Shaun's not timber wolves ? not the European wolf, iimmc.
I know that they are all part of the same cline, and can interbreed, but still.

He runs a business teaching dog owners how to effectively deal with their animals, so as a business venture he'll get hit with a double whammy on the planning applications too. Not so easy :(

cheers,
M
 
Mar 15, 2011
1,118
7
on the heather
Hey, if it does all go Pete Tong we won’t have to worry about the channel tunnel, the electric fences in the Highland wildlife Park will go down anyway and then never mind the wolves , lynx or bison? Tiger or polar bear Sir!
 
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Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
mail.jpg



" WOLF ATE MY GRAN "



Police today are investigating the frightening attack by a big bad wolf upon a post pubescent girl, who after narrowly escaping with her virtue intact, managed to break away & call the alarm. The young girl was visiting her grandmother but suspected something was wrong as soon as she knocked on the door,........" Her voice was different, deeper & gruffer" reported the girl. Her suspicions were confirmed when approaching the bed & expecting to see her grandmother, was shocked to find a huge wolf in her place................." Oooo he was big 'n' "airy " exclaimed the victim......" Even though I knew it wasn't my Gran I felt I 'ad to get closer, just to make sure" continued the girl. It was then that the wolf lept from the bed & tried to grab the young innocent girl & although frightened, she resisted as best she could. After a brief scuffle the girl came to her senses & with a well placed kick, broke free from the wolf's clutches. It was then she was able to reach the front door & call out to a passing woodsman who at the risk of his life, rushed into the house & slayed the wolf.
A police spokesman informed the press this afternoon that the results of a necropsy carried out on the wolf revealed that he had indeed eaten the Grandmother. " This is probably a one off incident " added the officer " but should the percieved plan of introducing wolves into the UK go ahead, we may find a greater occurence of similar cases coming to our attention " he proclaimed.
The young victim is currently recovering from her ordeal by recounting her story via various social networks. Some readers may be interested to learn that a reconstitution of this dramatic event will be appearing on YouTube shortly.
 
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Feb 15, 2011
3,860
2
Elsewhere
I hope the girl is OK, must of been terrible for her and even worse for her poor gran.


Sounds like she had a hairy experience but the way she was dressed it was like a red rag to a bull.........................sad for the granny but a forensic pathologist later stated that she died with a smile on her face.:)
 

salad

Full Member
Sep 24, 2008
1,779
133
51
In the Mountains
Sounds like she had a hairy experience but the way she was dressed it was like a red rag to a bull.........................sad for the granny but a forensic pathologist later stated that she died with a smile on her face.:)


Yes they just showed the re-constuction video on BBC world news it looked terrible especially the bit where the blind old gran was eaten , really terrible

On a positive note the girl seamed to be doing well when she was interviewed
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Really ? What got through ? I would think that anything that used to manage to travel by ship would manage, well, at least while the pumps run, but I really, really don't think that a breeding population of wolves or bears would manage it.

cheers,
Toddy

p.s. I knew that when the tunnel was commissioned that there were huge efforts made to stop rabies entering the UK from feral animals.

http://www.nytimes.com/1993/12/10/news/10iht-rabid.html
"the world's most elaborate anti-rabies shield.

"We thought of everything," said Anthony Crowley, the rabies expert who designed the shield. In addition to beefed-up customs facilities to check passengers and cargo, Mr. Crowley also put in place a system of physical barriers to keep wild animals from traversing the tunnel. That system begins with a steel mesh fence, about 10 feet high and buried two feet into the soil, completely ringing the tunnel terminals in Folkestone, England, and Calais, France. It ends with an electrified cattle grid inside the tunnel itself. All of these barriers were tested not merely on rats, cats, dogs, and foxes - the presumed rabies-carrying interlopers - but also on rabid members of those species since they are known to behave more aggressively.

I agree with you on the likelihood (or rather the UN-likelihood) of large predators coming through the tunnel. Not in any numbers sufficient for a breeding population at any rate.

However I fail to see how a scant 22 miles of the Channel is any barrier to rabid bats.
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,114
67
Florida
Hey, if it does all go Pete Tong we won’t have to worry about the channel tunnel, the electric fences in the Highland wildlife Park will go down anyway and then never mind the wolves , lynx or bison? Tiger or polar bear Sir!

That's exactly how florida got into the mess we're now in with Burmese Pythons. In 2005 there were 3 separate hurricanes which in total swept the entire state. Not a single pet store or wildlife facility of any king was left untouched. Most animals were relocated ahead of time or successfully contained. But the BM on the other hand all escaped and now are fast becoming a danger. Actually that's wrong; they're already a danger but are fast becoming irreversable.
 

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