Wolf Reintroduction yes or no

[tcvarlh]

As someone who has faced into the eyes of a Lynx snarling and using low growls as very bad language, I'd go for the wolves every time. The claptrap I hear about wolves being a danger to humans, garbage! Wolves are the most gentle of all carnivores. They will run and hide at the smell of humans, we REALLY stink, they don't hang around waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to turn up. If anything, Miss Hood is a far more dangerous beast. Lynx are different, unnerving somehow, too clever, too sneaky. I realise I am anthropomorphising here but that was the feeling of danger I got looking at a 'largish' evil-tempered cat. I was twenty foot from MY garden. In MY territory, not his.
Sitting in amongst a wolf-pack produced a warm 'part of the gang' effect.
Wolves over Lynx for me.
h

[tcvarlh]

Originally Posted by conisag

Release dogs, would that be simpler lol? if we had a feral dog population in the highlands people probably wouldnt be as worried hearing britain has wild dogs now rather than wild wolves.

No im not serious, but it was a thought.

So glad you aren't, feral Dogs would be a major problem, I have friends in Rumania who have to make a dash from the door to leap into the car at night because of pack of 30-40 feral mongrels. When I visited they shouted not to get out of the car, they would come and bring me in. These dogs have no fear of humans whatsoever and are seriously dangerous. Two children taken last year AFTER a major cull. A boy of 9 and a smaller girl. These are small farming communities and the cull was performed by the army and it was brutally done. If you owned a dog it HAD to be kept indoors for the three days the cull ran (baring leashed walks or penned in a yard) or you had no dog. The local wolves have been almost destroyed by these Hound-packs. Wildlife has been badly hurt and certain areas are almost no-go areas. A lot of the dogs are rabid and many carry other nasty diseases. A shame for the dogs, but since Ceauşescu's execution people have had more cash and better food and therefore greater wastage, the dog have exploited this food source and the population has run wild.
h

[animartco]

Originally Posted by bigdave60dog

Reintroduction of Scottish wolves is a good idea if you don`t live in the most rural parts of the Highlands. (I am sure that I saw a dead one on the of the A9 near to Badenoch). where the residents live lives free of large predators like wolves and lynxes and are happy with it that way.
Dave

Hi Big Dave. You live in the highlands? Lovely, but cooold! I agree about the danger of wolf attacks. Wolves like all dogs are quite bold especially when in a pack. But I don't think a lynx is any danger to man. A child perhaps, but mothers in countries in which there are big cats have learned to keep their children close, and there are worse dangers to children anyway than cats! Lynx are not bold and an adult would easily be able to scare one off by standing their ground and shouting. Just the simple precaution of carrying a stick in lynx country would be a sufficient protection anyway. An attacking lynx is not stronger than a fairly large dog; and the chance of encountering an escaped fierce dog would be far higher, and look how infrequently that happens.

[Farplace]

Originally Posted by animartco

Hi Big Dave. You live in the highlands? Lovely, but cooold! I agree about the danger of wolf attacks. Wolves like all dogs are quite bold especially when in a pack. But I don't think a lynx is any danger to man. A child perhaps, but mothers in countries in which there are big cats have learned to keep their children close, and there are worse dangers to children anyway than cats! Lynx are not bold and an adult would easily be able to scare one off by standing their ground and shouting. Just the simple precaution of carrying a stick in lynx country would be a sufficient protection anyway. An attacking lynx is not stronger than a fairly large dog; and the chance of encountering an escaped fierce dog would be far higher, and look how infrequently that happens.

Have you researched this? I refer you to an earlier post by Tcvarlh:

Originally Posted by tcvarlh

As someone who has faced into the eyes of a Lynx snarling and using low growls as very bad language, I'd go for the wolves every time. The claptrap I hear about wolves being a danger to humans, garbage! Wolves are the most gentle of all carnivores. They will run and hide at the smell of humans, we REALLY stink, they don't hang around waiting for Little Red Riding Hood to turn up. If anything, Miss Hood is a far more dangerous beast. Lynx are different, unnerving somehow, too clever, too sneaky. I realise I am anthropomorphising here but that was the feeling of danger I got looking at a 'largish' evil-tempered cat. I was twenty foot from MY garden. In MY territory, not his.
Sitting in amongst a wolf-pack produced a warm 'part of the gang' effect.
Wolves over Lynx for me.
h

Now there's someone who knows what he's talking about!

[Cowgirl]

Mmm, I think the cat may be the worst adversary 30 - 40lbs of meaness packed into fur & lightning fast claws.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by Cowgirl

Mmm, I think the cat may be the worst adversary 30 - 40lbs of meaness packed into fur & lightning fast claws.

I agree theoretically that a feline is more dangerous than a canine of a similar size, but in my experience lynx arent inherently dangerous unless you provoke them - they prey largely on rabbits and hares (and smaller rodents as targets of oportunity) so (unlike a leopard for example which preys on baboons) they are not hardwired to see primates ie humans as prey, and if they see you as a threat they are far more likely to run than attack , so if people dont try to interfere with them they are no threat.

ditto with wolves - although there are records of wolf attacks on humans they are nearly all either the result of hunters wounding an animal but not finishing it off, or people doing something dumb - like habituating a wolf to their presence then trying to give it a big hug - animal doesnt know whats going on , reacts negatively to the sudden invasion of its space , and all of a sudden its the wolfs "fault" that some silly pillock gets themselves bitten.

[STYRBJORN]

To the best of my knowledge there is no authenticated record of an attack by wolves upon human beings. Lots of folk tales, rural myths, fairy stories, throwing Piotr off the sledge to save the family . . . Otherwise none. Wolves are too intelligent to tangle with us lot.

Ric

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

To the best of my knowledge there is no authenticated record of an attack by wolves upon human beings. Lots of folk tales, rural myths, fairy stories, throwing Piotr off the sledge to save the family . . . Otherwise none. Wolves are too intelligent to tangle with us lot.

Ric

not quite, the world-wide study of wolf attacks on humans done by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) in 2002 found that

during the 100 years of the 20th century there were between twenty and thirty attacks in North America (including Alaska and Canada, which have relatively high populations of wolves). Of these, three were fatal, all because of rabies. No attacks have been recorded in Yellowstone since the reintroduction of wolves more than a decade ago

howevcer a lot of these, including all three fatalities were in the early part of the 20th century

wikipedia has a full list of wolf attacks on people - most not fully substantiated , and what is noticeable is that the vast majority are in eastern bloc or third world cournties where the wolves havent learnt to fear people and people are living a very agrarian life style, and also that a vast number of the historical attacks involve rabies

[STYRBJORN]

Rabies attacks I will accept, although more people in the UK die from bites from rabid bats than from wolves.
If you want to treat anecdotes from third world or eastern bloc countries as valid evidence feel free.
Grandma what big teeth you have.

Ric

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by STYRBJORN

Rabies attacks I will accept, although more people in the UK die from bites from rabid bats than from wolves.
If you want to treat anecdotes from third world or eastern bloc countries as valid evidence feel free.
Grandma what big teeth you have.

Ric

Ric - I did say that I knew most of them were unsubstantiated - but it is true that attacks occasionally occur, - but rabies excepted - they are nearly always the result of the human doing something dumb.

I am pro a wolf reintroduction, but I do believe we need to do it with our eyes open and not be blind to the potential problems - like educating people that they arent big grey dogs that you should try to cuddle.