REINTRODUCTION OF INDIGENOUS ANIMALS
The reintroduction of indigenous species into the UK countryside is welcomed by the Foundation for Endangered Species. Official plans to re-establish populations of animals that once colonised these shores are supported by the Foundation. At the moment we support three birds and three mammals, in particular the Great Bustard, the Red Kite, the White Tailed Sea Eagle: mammals include the Wild Boar, the Tarpan (or Konik Polski) and the Beaver.
The Foundation takes the line that the UK has the responsibility to restore some of Britain's original wildlife habitat so that our indigenous wildlife can return and live in them successfully. This means that the public and all groups must get a mind set that allows us all to live with them; that is for us to live inside nature, and not apart from it, as we largely do at the moment.
The Great Bustard project has had a rough start but is finding success with a breeding pair now being witnessed. Hopefully the birds will succeed in raising its families and once more offer joy to many ornithologists as well as the general public. The Foundation will continue to monitor the species' progress, offering help whenever it can in order to get a Minimum Viable Population that will secure its long term survival.
The Red Kite's reintroduction project has been a spectacular success over many parts of the country. The Foundation has monitored the Kite in England, Scotland and Wales (as well as seeing it elsewhere in the world). In particular, the Foundation has had contact with the Chilterns population. We have seen as many as 34 Birds in the sky at a time and have witnessed their range steadily increasing over the years, including the outskirts of Outer London. The Foundation's natural history walks have been into the heartland of the Kites where some photographs have been possible. We have also monitored the nestcam at Aston Rowant for a short time and have been toying with a similar system elsewhere. However this means getting a partnership set up which can be problematical.
Unfortunately some Kites throughout the UK have been deliberately and unlawfully poisoned, usually by unscrupulous gamekeepers. These are usually salaried people employed to persecute all types of birds of prey, especially those who could hunt game-birds. The shooting fraternity often do not show any mercy to those birds who hunt pheasant, grouse or any other game that they consider to be their sport. The Foundation is a member of PAW, and supports all attempts to stop persecution and all other types of similar illegal activities often occurring in large estates.
The White Tailed or Sea Eagle was reintroduced to Scotland over 30 years ago. However this programme has not been successful in allowing them to recolonise other areas that it once lived. Therefore the Foundation supports the recent introduction of the East Coast population of Eagles in Scotland. Secondly, the Foundation is also active in campaigning for an English colony to be re-established in East Anglia. This is quite feasible, we believe as we have drawn our conclusions from studying similar habitats in which the Eagles survive outside Great Britain.
The Wild Boar has been a partial success for the Foundation as we have continually fought for its right to be accepted as a wild animal in the UK countryside once again. In 2008 the government finally gave its tacit agreement the Boar could be hunted in the appropriate season in a legally acceptable manner. This also indicates that the Boar should not be exterminated once again, and therefore can be acceptable to a limited degree. This is generally the same view as is held by the Mammal Society, which the Foundation were a member of. However we did propose that the Boar should be given full protection (i.e. that there should not be any hunting allowed); therefore we believe that we have scored a partial victory. The Foundation still believes that the Boar needs protection until their small and scattered colonies have built up Minimum Viable Populations for permanency. Therefore we still push for firm guarantees that the Boar should be positively helped to increase its numbers until after that critical position is reached. In certain parts of the country, Boar could prepare the ground for forest regeneration, which is badly needed as less than 20% of the land mass will be afforested in years to come. Boar are a good forest animal and should be living in that habitat.
The Beaver is not yet back into the wild, as the Foundation believes it ought to be. A few years ago Andy Mydellton wrote to Louis MacDonald of the Scottish parliament to support the Beaver Reintroduction project at Knapdale. This was sadly rejected, for what the Foundation believes was for lame excuses on behalf of the land owning self interests. The project has been proposed once again with the new Scottish parliament. So Andy Mydellton has written again in support of the plans to Richard Lochheart, the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment. Hopefully, we will this time get a better quality reply that addresses the more legitimate interests of the public at large. The Foundation also supports the reintroduction of the Beaver into England. This is because we believe that it is feasible. Our position is due to our investigations of other hugely successful reintroduction plans that have already occurred right across Europe over many years. The circumstances in Great Britain are no different to those circumstances and situations elsewhere.
The Tarpan no longer exists as a true wild species and so cannot be reintroduced into Great Britain. However the nearest breed to the true wild species is the Konok Polski - a breed of domestic animal that is the nearest survivor of the wild species. Andy Mydllton worked with these animals whilst a leader of the National Trust at Wicken Fen. The animals were released into the wild to naturally look after the habitat by doing what herbivores normally do; grazing and defalcating. Andy led a team of conservationists, whose work included making a watering hole accessible for them. This project was successful and the horses/ponies have proved to be in their natural place. Other groups and landowners, such as the Wildlife Trusts throughout the country have also adopted this strategy.