Are the European bison in the Highlands wild?

[conisag]

The ones at the Highland Wildlife Park? would they be classified as wild animals? if so, then Bison have already been reintroduced to the UK.

[eeyore]

No - they are a captive herd and therefore dont qualify as a wild reintro ( all the animals at HWP are captive bar the red squirels)

[conisag]

Originally Posted by eeyore

No - they are a captive herd and therefore dont qualify as a wild reintro ( all the animals at HWP are captive bar the red squirels)

I see, that makes sense, would the animals still be considered a wild animal, altho not free living or technically in the "wild" or would these be domestic and "approachable"- not that anyone with a right mind would risk it.

[eeyore]

Originally Posted by conisag

I see, that makes sense, would the animals still be considered a wild animal, altho not free living or technically in the "wild" or would these be domestic and "approachable"- not that anyone with a right mind would risk it.

I think they are "wild" in the same way that an animal in a zoo is wild animal - ie that it is a captive exemplar of a wild species rather than a domesticated breed.

that said approachability and domesticity are not the same thing - I have been into enclosures with a range of zoo animals including lemurs, colobus, clouded leopard, cheetah, rhino, and wolves and am no worse for it (though the colobus did throw poo at me then steal my 81b warm up filter and run off with it ), but there are domesticated breeds which would kill you soon as look at you (the chillingham cattle are the most obvious example but there are many bulls and also breeds of pig that it would be unwise to mess with)

[Doggle Avaddit]

I would imagine they are furious.





Rowan Atkinson.

[Eryri]

There are wild ponies on the Carneddau mountains in North Wales, which are a distinct breed and are 'wild', but have been 'farmed' since Roman times.

The breed is the original 'British' horse. They live wild, but are 'farmed' in that the stallions are sometimes removed to stop the need for culling. The herds are run down onto the lower pastures in winter. They are not captive and they are not 'domesticated'.

Merlod Y Carneddau

Are they 'wild' ?

[conisag]

Originally Posted by Eryri

There are wild ponies on the Carneddau mountains in North Wales, which are a distinct breed and are 'wild', but have been 'farmed' since Roman times.

The breed is the original 'British' horse. They live wild, but are 'farmed' in that the stallions are sometimes removed to stop the need for culling. The herds are run down onto the lower pastures in winter. They are not captive and they are not 'domesticated'.

Merlod Y Carneddau

Are they 'wild' ?

personally i would say yes, there are many wild horses in britain most of which are "native" as in originate here as a breed.

[conisag]

bump