[almostnormal]

many of the species that we (as conservation peoples) are looking at introducing were hunted to extinction in the UK. wolves were native to scotland and kept the deer population under control. which in scotland at the moment would be an excellent plan. likewise wild boar were once native and are being considered for re-introduction. i feel if there are historic records for an established european species, such as large blue butterfly, within britain a reintroduction is not far fetched or irresponsible if handled with care.

however, and apologise for the following rant but its something i feel strongly about, there is a difference between intentionally and carefully reintroducing a species which has been recorded in great britain, and introducing something that has no right to be in the UK, for example the american mink, which is an absolute disaster, and which can be almost soley attributed to the ignorance of animal rights compaigners. before i go further, its worth pointing out that i disagree with the fur trade. the american mink was bred in captivity for the fur trade. ignorant animal rights campaigners, with no forethought as to what would occur in our native eco systems if they released said animal, released thousands of the things into our countryside and almost single handedly decimated the water vole population.

now i agree there is a grey area when it comes to native versus non native species, but there are certain things that i feel apply:

1. if it gets here on its own, for example avocets and little egrets, with no interference or help from us, and manages to develop a stable and self sustaining population fine. it should be here. it put in a lot of effort. it natural colonisation. this means that at least the following should definitely not be in the uk because its here through un-natural colonisation bought about by humans, not by the species itself:

a. american mink
b. all alien weed species
c. ring necked parakeet (although in time this may have got here on its own)
d. grey squirrels
e. canada geese
f. ruddy duck

2. if it escapes from a zoo, or from some one's house, or people deliberatly let them free, as in the case of the mink, they (the animal) should be caught and dealt with as humanely as possible. the person(s) responsible should be dealt with as well.

3. animals that get transplanted by well meaning but ill informed people, such as hedgehogs on uist should be removed humanely (not by culling if its at all possible)

4. recovery programs which help species recolonise areas they historically inhabited once britain became an island are important, and are not the same as allowing a non native to spread. nor should nature be 'allowed to take its course' if humans are responsible for the deviation of nature's course in the first place.

ok so my little rant is over. i'm not saying we should get rid of ring necked parakeets. they appear to be quite contained and don't seem to be doing any harm, but we definitely need to aware of what's going on, and what constitutes natural colonisation and un natural colonisation.