Jan

30

2007
 
 

Who’s afraid now?



Grey_wolfSurvey suggests Scots would welcome wolves back to the fold

Plans to reintroduce grey wolves to Scotland haven’t rattled the natives, according to a study published this week. The idea of putting wolves – hunted to extinction in the 18th Century – back into the Highlands has been mooted for many years but failed to become a reality. The study, led by Erlend Nilsen at the University of Olso, Norway, combined a survey of public opinion with computer models to predict the impact of wolf packs on Scotland’s red deer population. The virtual wolves dutifully went on the rampage, producing a suitably satisfying degree of digital carnage. The desolate real-world hills of Northern Britain are all but overrun by red deer, and the annual cull is a costly exercise. However, the wolf’s fate in Scotland is intertwined with sheep, which are somewhat easier to catch than nervy deer. But leaving aside the ethical and animal rights issues, sheep predation need not raise too much concern: most farms operate at a loss and survive on agricultural subsidies. The big bad wolf might just turn out to be the Scottish sheep farmer’s best friend.

Source: Nilsen, EB, Milner-Gulland, EJ, Schofield, L, Mysterud, A, Stenseth, N-C & Coulson, T (2007) Wolf reintroduction to Scotland: public attitudes and consequences for red deer management. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.0369

Filed Under Restoration, Community-based conservation, Socio-political issues | 

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