A Few bits on Scottish Environmental Conservation

[ThistleDown]

I'll have one more say tonight and then I must be away to my bed.

"Recently, there has also been interest over Scottish landowners who are planning to build large game reserves on their land and release the species that are, at present, extinct. Paul Lister plans to release Eurasian Lynx, Brown Bear, Grey Wolf, Elk, Wild Boar and species already present in Scotland into a huge 200 square kilometre enclosure at his estate, Alladale, due for completion in 2009. A trial enclosure (5.5 km²) will be built this year and Elk, Wild Boar, Red Deer and Roe Deer will be released into it this year and next."

I'll not argue here with any landlowner trying to make his way in these difficult times, but I do want to point out to the urban-dwellers among you that a return to the land of yesteryear is nigh on impossible.

It is certainly an accomplishable goal if you accept that your wee cats and lap dogs are acceptable prey for wolves and lynx and that you, yourself, will have a much, much, much smaller terraine for roaming when bears and wolves again roam the hills of home.

Rex

[xman]

... a return to the land of yesteryear is nigh on impossible.

It is certainly an accomplishable goal if you accept that your wee cats and lap dogs are acceptable prey for wolves and lynx and that you, yourself, will have a much, much, much smaller terraine for roaming when bears and wolves again roam the hills of home.

That is certainly the case here in BC as I'm sure you're aware and we mostly accept that and watch our step a little more than those in more ... manicured locales, but I can't argue with you that going backward in the highlands is impossible. Regaining some glory? That should be achievable anywhere.

[ThistleDown]

Yes, I have a Scottish terrier in BC and he is well-protected from coyotes during his evening wanderings, I assure you.

The Lynx. Alan I have seen many in British Columbia. At a distance, granted, and I readily agree that they are not dangerous to humans. Generally speaking, nor are cougars, but there have been times....

And black bear? I've crossed paths with perhaps a half-dozen in the past year. Perhaps as many as 24 in the last two years. Great black pigs, they are.

But why would we want to bring them back into the Highlands? What is natural about this re-introduction after hundreds of years?

Rex

[Alan H]

Yes, I have a Scottish terrier in BC and he is well-protected from coyotes during his evening wanderings, I assure you.

The Lynx. Alan I have seen many in British Columbia. At a distance, granted, and I readily agree that they are not dangerous to humans. Generally speaking, nor are cougars, but there have been times....

And black bear? I've crossed paths with perhaps a half-dozen in the past year. Perhaps as many as 24 in the last two years. Great black pigs, they are.

But why would we want to bring them back into the Highlands? What is natural about this re-introduction after hundreds of years?

Rex

Agree'd... I'm not sure what the point is to reintroduce animals just because "they were here, once upon a time". That goes double, or triple if the local environment has changed significantly from historical norms and the resources might not be there to support a viable population. Bears need a lot of territory. Does Scotland have enough to support of population of a couple thousand bears? I don't know, you would have a better idea. Less than that is asking for disaster.

Really? Seen a lot of lynx? I am jealous!! One reason to re-introduce the Eurasian lynx is that they're in big trouble everywhere outside of Siberia. There's supposed to be a pretty big population, a couple thousand in the Carpathian mountains, but they're only there because wildlife there is managed by the hunting clubs, so they sort of maintain a population so they can sell licenses. Everywhere else, all the other sub-populations of the Eurasian lynx, outside of Siberia are tiny. There's a Macedonian subspecies of lynx, amazingly. How many are left? maybe 100?

So I could see the logic of reintroducing the lynx to give the species another foothold. Problem is, they will probably compete with the wildcat for food, and the wildcat really doesn't need any more pressure.

Anyway, better, probably to conserve what is left, and rebuild it as best as possible. It would be a tragedy to lose the Scottish Wildcat. Bears? There are a LOT of bears roaming around!

[Alan H]

BTW, Thistledown, I don't know where you live in BC, but if you see that many bears and you see lynx, I think I'd like it there!