Non native mammals

[starlight]

Can anyone tell me why, if its an offence to release a non native eg. crayfish etc.
Then why do I keep seeing on animal rescue tv programmes the grey squirrel being cared back to health and released?

Is it now classed as native or what, it seems a real contradiction in terms and Im confused

[Dogghound]

Good question. perhaps due to squirrel being more fluffy. Eitherway they are a big threat to native species just like signals and mink etc.

[mh68]

I`m fairly sure its illegal to release grey squirrels unless the law concerning this has changed recently?

Mark H

[mh68]

Found the following on the DEFRA site....

Under the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932 (as amended) certain non-native mammals may only be kept in captivity under the authority of a licence.

Section 8 of the Act permits the issue of special licences to keep:

* mink (Mustela vison),
* coypu (Myocaster coypus)and
* grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis)

for exhibition, scientific research or other exceptional purposes. Guidance on applying for a licence is given below.

Please note that it is an offence under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) to release or allow to escape into the wild grey squirrels, mink and coypu without a licence

So,it appears that Greys CAN be released if the appropriate licence is granted,although circumstances under which such licences are granted isnt mentioned on their site.

Mark H

[Dan Salter]

Blimey!...had never thought about this one...that Simon Cowell from wildlife rescue should be due a life sentence by now?

Excellent point raised starlight!...cant wait to start rows at uni with this one ...ammo for a nature nazi indeed.

[CurreHound]

This is a difficult on that requires much more sensible handling and debate than the current simplistic legislation.

I still can't get my head around that it is okay to kill grey sqirrels, coypu , or cull badger in huge numbers, but the same goverment say it immoral to hunt fox and mink with hounds.

What about RABBITS then?They aren't native so are the government going to cull all of them?
getting a bit myxie lately perhaps they are.

Personally I think as long as anaimals are carefully managed unless they are proven to be devastatingly harmful to native spcies then exterminating them all is an over reaction. To me its better approached with traditional management. I still want to know how in some woodland greys and reds co exist. I still think the habitat changes have more to do with red squirrel populations diminishing than
the grey.
Anyway I am certainly not going to cull greys and will offer them assistance if in need.
However I would be delighted if some crappy organisation like the RSPCA got done for it. Mind you, from what I can see from the approx 100 000 animals they kill each year a lot are wild so DON'T appear to be re released; allegedly. I guess its cheaper to kill than cure.

Unless an area cleared of greys is going to be replaced by reds with a breeding programme it seems utterly pointless to treat them so badly. Certainly in most towns killing greys is now pointless. If has has been suggested the cause is grey to red viral contamination then maybe they ought to work on the virus. Mind you, expcting a society that doesn't want to work on viral causes of cancer in humans because it can raise more revenue by pretending smoking causes everything is hardly going to try to help squirrels.

As for mink leave the mink hounds to deal with them IMHO. That controls them without exterminating them. They are there because of animal rights lunatics releasing them from fur farms; and I have seen mink in action. However you can't blame them; they are just doing what nature intended. Viciously beautiful killers.
Incidentally what happened to all the mink our glorious animal friendly governemnt saved from being badly treated on fur farms? I suppose they are all in happy little government sanctuaries now are they?
I had been to some of those farms incidentally to sketch mink. They were not cruel at all...far from it. The husbandry there was very good. Sadly for mink the politicians think them politicaly incorrect.

Government should just keep their oar out of wildlife management altogether; domestic stock and wildlife.
Anyone who thinks that the DEFRA killing teams are better than hunting needs a wake up call that is for sure. Yep some of us can remember them lining up three cows to try to save bullets. I know it had to be done...but the way in which it was done by a so called animal friendly government was apalling and so I certainly don't trust them anywhere near grey squirrels or mink.

[The Black Rabbit]

Originally Posted by CurreHound

However I would be delighted if some crappy organisation like the RSPCA got done for it. Mind you, from what I can see from the approx 100 000 animals they kill each year a lot are wild so DON'T appear to be re released; allegedly. I guess its cheaper to kill than cure.
.

Would be interested to hear an attempted justification of your opinion of the RSPCA currehound?
Doug

[Ukwildlifeo]

Originally Posted by The Black Rabbit

Would be interested to hear an attempted justification of your opinion of the RSPCA currehound?
Doug

Perhaps its related to the fact the RSPCA stated fox hunting with dogs should be banned.

As for why its ok for to cull mink and grey squirrels, its because there extremely destructive to native animals - mink especially to water fowls and nesting wildfowl and grey squirrels bad news for nesting birds and red squirrels.
Badgers should not ve culled based on the scientific evidence. Rabbits are a not native but now play an important role maintaining grasslands and providing food for buzzards foxes etc.

[Billy Wobble Dagger]

Sorry, mink should be trapped and shot end of story, IMHO. They may be nice to look at but they are distroying out river wildlife. I watched a programme the other night called "water vole - life on the edge". It was awful to see the mink killing all the wildlife on the river.

Trap and shoot, trap and shoot

BWD

[Dogghound]

Originally Posted by Ukwildlifeo

Rabbits are a not native but now play an important role maintaining grasslands and providing food for buzzards foxes etc.

Spot on with that, by taking away rabbits you would take a large chunk of the foodchain for a dependant group of animals.