Reintroducing Extinct Species
John Dean
There is a body of thought that says species extinct in Britain for many years should be reintroduced. The subject concerns all guardians and users of the landscape and raises passions among factions who are for and against the idea. Environmental writer John Dean examines the arguments.
What animals could be introduced?
Wolves, bears, lynx, wild boar and beaver among others. The key rule governing reintroductions is that the animals lived in Britain before.
When did these animals disappear and why?
Wolves became extinct in Scotland and Ireland in the 1700s and sometime before that in England, persecuted by Man. Today, their European strongholds include Russia, eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
It seems likely that the original British wild boar population disappeared in the 13th Century although there were failed reintroductions in the 17th Century. Boars disappeared due to loss of forested habitat and persecution because they were perceived to damage crops.
Brown bears disappeared from Britain before the Romans invaded. They survive in Russia, Scandinavia, eastern Europe and some Mediterranean countries.
Lynx were last seen in the UK 2,000 years ago. Beavers had disappeared by the 16th Century, hunted for pelt and meat.
Wolf © Paul Glendell/English Nature
Who would like to see them introduced?
Many naturalists, including those doing work for the Mammal Society and wildlife trusts, feel very strongly that there is an argument for reintroduction. And there are groups dedicated to the return of the likes of wild boar and beaver. All are united by their passions to see the big beasts back in the UK landscape but behind the passions, are closely constructed arguments.
One of the main arguments focuses on fair play. Supporters contend that for Britain's ecological balance to be restored after centuries of Man's meddling, the country must welcome back animals it has lost. It is the least Man can do after centuries of wanton damage to the landscape, they say.
The supporters also say predators like wolves and lynx would control the large, and increasingly destructive, deer population in some areas. They argue that the presence of such creatures would be a boost for tourism, and the Wilderness Foundation has submitted proposals to the Government for the creation of areas where wild animal herds could roam, mostly in sparsely populated upland areas.
Why should I care?
There is support for the return of species across the UK, and one of the strongholds is Scotland, where there are large tracts of wilderness ideal for the return of the big beasts. What happens in Scotland is important because Northumberland, and most of its wilderness, which is in the National Park, is well within natural expansion and migratory range for these creatures Wolves and the like do not take any notice of borders. The reintroduction issue is not something vague and irrelevant; it affects you, whether you live in the Park or visit it.
Norwegian Beaver © Duncan Hutt
Who opposes reintroduction?
Some naturalists and farming and landowning interests argue that talk of reintroduction for most species is fanciful because too much has changed in the landscape for it to be successful. They say the island is too crowded for major species such as bear, lynx and wild boar and that conflict with Man would be inevitable.
What some farmers and landowners mean by that is conflict with their own interests. With many of the opponents already paranoid about birds of prey, the reintroduction of wolves, bears and boar would be likely to send them into apoplexy at the thought of losing livestock to even more predators.
Opponents also point to the unease that would be felt by many countryside users; it would only take one wolf to have the temerity to appear on a country track a few metres ahead of a child in a buggy and look at it for a second or two before ambling off in the other direction and the media would go into over-drive. You only have to see the way the media treats the presence of sharks off the North-East coast - referring to the film Jaws - to know that. Scare-mongering it might be, but mud sticks for those people not prepared to think through the issues.
There is also, the opponents argue, the concern that trigger-happy big game hunters would move in, whether legal or not. That has already happened in some areas where big cats such as puma are said to roam the British countryside after escaping from captivity. For those kind of people, a live animal is a bad animal and wolves and bears would be bound to attract them.
Do the opponents have a case?
There is a strong element of scare-mongering in some of the opposition but in some cases, the opponents do have a case. They argue that reintroduction would tip the balance, given that many species have adapted to life without large predators such as wolves and lynx. And they may be right; the introduction of some species does illustrate the dangers of meddling. Admittedly, they were not reintroductions but they show how delicate the countryside balance now is.
For example, American mink, which escaped or were released from mink farms during the 20th Century, prey on endangered water vole. Man has destroyed a vast amount of vole habitat so minks are one pressure too far.
Take the grey squirrel, introduced from America by the Victorians and more adaptable than the red squirrel. That would not be a problem if there was plenty of forest for both species but Man has chopped down too many trees so the red cannot compete and is dying out. Northumberland is one of its few remaining English strongholds.
Another example is the eagle owl, which has moved over naturally from mainland Europe. Large predators, they eat small birds already under pressure because intensive agriculture has destroyed their habitats.
Opponents argue that reintroducing other large predators runs the risk of causing similar disasters.
The best recent example of such fears has got to be the escaped wild boar that are causing anxiety in the Forest of Dean. Listed as dangerous wild animals, they are actually a greater danger to livelihood than health, rooting about to find food, sometimes in farmers' fields.
Farmers are also concerned that the boar could spread disease - but then a sizeable number of farmers have used that argument to justify the virtual eradication of badgers and the argument is far from resolved on that one.
But passions are not just aroused by the big beasts. Take the rabbit, introduced in Norman times and a pest ever since, eating its way across farmland and burrowing under railway lines. Farmers do have a genuine argument in pointing to the creature as a disastrous example of introduction; whether boar or wolves would have the same damaging effect remains to be seen.
Yes, but can it work?
Given the right conditions, and ignoring for the moment the protests from vested interests, some once-extinct species can exist in Britain as shown by events over recent years.
Wild boar, which escaped from farms, have established several thriving colonies in southern England and beavers have been reintroduced into enclosed nature reserves in Kent and the Cotswolds. Dormice were bought back to areas from which they had been missing, including near Milton Keynes and in the Peak District.
Otters were released on the North York Moors at the end of the 20th century and have re-colonised the area's rivers and tributaries.
Then there are red kite. Reintroduced on Tyneside after an absence of more than 150 years, they are spreading. The same happened when they were brought back to other parts of England, including the Chilterns and North Yorkshire.
Some naturalists argue that the next, larger step, should now be taken. Some point to the claimed existence of escaped big cats such as lynx and puma in Britain as proof that the big beasts can survive.
When is extinction not extinction?
The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT), which is based in southern England but does work in the north, disagrees with those naturalists that want to see pine marten reintroduced. The VWT says it has found evidence that the martens still exist in many areas, forested Northumberland included.
So where do we go now?
There is a growing debate around reintroduction and maybe the likes of beaver could be reintroduced in other areas of the British Isles, although plans for a Scottish project have been dropped. But realistically, it will be a long time before bear and wolves roam the northern hills again - if ever. And that's a pity.
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