On a lighter note...

[intertext]

Deer and elk and ...aurochs? and... beavers? Oh my! My friend KP sent me this link to a story about conservation schemes to replace presently unviable or uneconomical farmland with land populated by "rewilded" animals in England's green and pleasant lands. Many Canadians can attest (national symbol notwithstanding) that they may regret the beavers when the busy little guys start damming everything in sight. No plans are afoot to reintroduce wolves or bears, apparently, as these creatures are considered too frightening... too bad, I say, as one would think howling in the wilds of Wales or Scotland would add loads of atmosphere!

Comments

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

You notice the continued failure to admit that southern England already has a population of feral boar; I am torn between thinking the whole thing fascinating and wondering how we'll cope, given that we have so little experience in this country of living alongside large wild animals, and fearing that the people with large guns and little sense will take this as some kind of challenge.

[intertext.livejournal.com]

Interesting! I had no idea you had feral boar in southern England. Here in Western Canada, we have to contend with black bear and coyotes who have been displaced from their own habitat by encroaching humans. The coyote, in typical trickster fashion, are doing quite well; the bear less so. We also have the odd young cougar. Locally, we once had a cougar strollling into the Empress Hotel (almost the symbolic equivalent of Buckingham Palace...). I think it was just zapped with a stun gun and removed to a better habitat, not killed, but these incidents are always somewhat dodgey for the animals. On the other hand, similar ecological experiments, such as "farmed" buffalo, and wolves in national parks, seem to have been quite successful, so who's to say? I understand your misgivings, though.

[lilyfriend.livejournal.com]

Wow, when did the Empress incident happen?

[intertext.livejournal.com]

um - quite a few years ago, now, I think ... and to be perfectly accurate it was the parking garage, not the lobby(!) but still...

[lilyfriend.livejournal.com]

Oh dear, we park in there quite often. Will have to keep an eye open for predators!

Have to admit, would have been a bit disappointed with the doorman had he openly let a cougar wander in.. :)

[brisingamen.livejournal.com]

The piggies have escaped from various farms in the last few years, gone into deep cover and are breeding. But the assorted authorities are reluctant to admit they're there, for a nnumber of reasons, not the least of which does seem to be a desire to discourage people from going out and hunting them. Which people are of course doing, because they're there, and the hunters like a challenge. Likewise, the owners of the farms don't want to admit that their fences are insecure, so no wild boar have ever escaped from anywhere. The pigs themselves, as they like deep cover, are unlikely to be encountered unless you're trying really, really hard to encounter them. I think the same would be true of wolves ... it's the people I don't trust.