Wolves in the Wilderness

We could soon be spotting more than Robert Burns' "wee, sleekit, cowrin, tim'rous beasties" (translated "small, sleek, cowering, timorous beasts"), i.e. mice, in the Highlands of Scotland. Instead we could be hearing howls in the Highlands, grunts in the Glens and seeing lynx in the Lochs!

Conservationists want to reintroduce wolves, boars and big cats into the wild. They've already had success with white-tailed sea eagles and red kites and are soon hoping to reintroduce beavers to Argyle.

The reintroduction of previously extinct species in other European countries has helped the eco-system as well as providing economic benefits from an influx of interested tourists, so conservationists in the UK are hoping to follow suit, albeit somewhat cautiously.

The aim is to re-establish 900 square miles of the Caledonian Forest and then introduce the mammals in order to maintain the re-established eco-system. One of the main concerns is whether these animals are going to pose any danger to humans and other animals who might fancy a walk on the wild side but bearing in mind elk and wild boar have already been introduced on the Alladale estate and live in relative harmony with the rest of the wildlife (including humans!), it would seem that there's very little risk. In fact, the owner of the Alladale estate has found that this reintroduction has worked so well, he's now wanting to expand and introduce lynx, wolves and bears. It's also not widely known that boar are already roaming wild in southern England since they escaped from captivity during a hurricane which took place in the late 1980s and there seems to be little conflict there between man and beast!

By way of background history, it seems wolves were hunted to extinction as long ago as the mid 18^th century, the last recorded wolf being noted in Scotland. Wild boar were hunted to extinction in the 17^th century. They, in particular, proved to be great sport for the upper orders of our society as they were extremely ferocious and had immense stamina which added spice to the hunt. In fact, it's understood that Henry VIII, an avid huntsman, was badly gored by a wild boar. The boar has excellent hearing and an extraordinary sense of smell which means it can sense the huntsman from some considerable distance, enabling it to deploy avoiding tactics, which in turn provides more of a challenge to the hunter.

The lynx for some considerable time, was thought to have died out in the United Kingdom some 4,000 years ago but recent archaeological evidence shows us that it probably became extinct during Mediaeval times - around 1,500 years ago. One wonders whether it's good policy to reintroduce an animal that has been extinct from our shores for such a lengthy period but where it's been reintroduced elsewhere in Europe it's been quite successful and tends to exist mainly on a diet of young deer and foxes. Over here, particularly in Scotland, deer are devastating our forests and are regularly culled by man but the lynx would provide a natural source of culling. Likewise, with fox hunting now banned here, the lynx would keep the number of foxes in check thus potentially being a boon to livestock farmers.

I suspect the reintroduction of extinct species and its pros and cons will remain a matter for debate for some considerable time so hang fire on your plans for a safari holiday in Scotland for the time being!