Rewilding Study by the University of Oxford

[jukel123 7,957]

I don't agree otters, pine marten or polecats have been released.( Otters and pine marten are difficult to breed in captivity). There are more otters because of cleaner rivers, pine marten because they are no longer persecuted to the same extent and polecats because many of them are descended from escaped/released ferrets. There will be other reasons too.

Magpies have suddenly appeared in big numbers in my part of the woods. They have just extended their range. Years ago there were gamekeepers shooting them on sight, now there's nothing to keep them in check.

Pheasants are released in their millions every year. Only a minority end up in the human food chain the rest end up dead (starvation/ road kill or dumped because there is no demand for them. They must affect predator/scavenger numbers.

I am all for rewilding, wolves and lynxes. The deer population has exploded in Scotland. Can you imagine the posts on the Lurchers section of this site? At stud..Bull Cross taken wolf, lynx . Not for the faint hearted.lol.

[Greyman 28,198]

17 hours ago, jukel123 said:

I don't agree otters, pine marten or polecats have been released.( Otters and pine marten are difficult to breed in captivity). There are more otters because of cleaner rivers, pine marten because they are no longer persecuted to the same extent and polecats because many of them are descended from escaped/released ferrets. There will be other reasons too.

Magpies have suddenly appeared in big numbers in my part of the woods. They have just extended their range. Years ago there were gamekeepers shooting them on sight, now there's nothing to keep them in check.

Pheasants are released in their millions every year. Only a minority end up in the human food chain the rest end up dead (starvation/ road kill or dumped because there is no demand for them. They must affect predator/scavenger numbers.

I am all for rewilding, wolves and lynxes. The deer population has exploded in Scotland. Can you imagine the posts on the Lurchers section of this site? At stud..Bull Cross taken wolf, lynx . Not for the faint hearted.lol.

It’s not really a case of wether you agree or not it’s a fact mate and those who are involved no the truth, mustilids in general are very easy to breed in captivity I have family’s of polecats not just an odd escaped ferret turning up on mass in several areas and the pine Martin release program is actually talking with residents in the FOD it’s not a myth or a rumour it has been going on for decades

 

[Greyman 28,198]

Skip forward to about 4mins if you don’t want to listen to it all but John was fuming over it

 

[jukel123 7,957]

You are right and I was wrong Greyman.I've been googling. I had no idea the authorities could be so short sighted as to not forsee the problems they would create. Otters are a big problem in my neck of the woods as well,  breeding them for release is just criminal.

Edited September 15, 2019 by jukel123

[forest of dean redneck 11,539]

On 27/08/2019 at 09:16, Born Hunter said:

Rewilding eh.......... Are you taking requests for game species? I have a bucket list! 

People Been doing it for years rabbits on golf courses springs to mind