Do you also like the idea of pets and livestock being killed by them? There's a reason it's extinct here. The claim that they don't kill livestock is intellectually dishonest, they are known in Europe for killing sheep and an escaped lynx from a zoo in ceredigion did exactly this.
@@scatman8963 using a lynx that escaped from a zoo is also very dishonest though. It was obviuosly much more used to humans, and as such was nowhere as near as shy as a wild one would have been. Also not having grown in the wild it was almost certainly less able to properly hunt its natural prey (and thus more likely to prey on livestock).
@@scatman8963there’s an answer. Use electric fencing, get a livestock guardian dog or two (in a 1v1, a lynx can kill a livestock guardian dog), and when you’re around, ALWAYS keep an eye on your livestock and pets.
It’d be pretty crazy if bison got properly reintroduced into the wild. I could just imagine a hiker who hadn’t heard the news somehow bumping into a 6 ft tall bovine, it would be quite the surprise.
I've gone hiking up in the Coastal Redwoods in California and had fairly close encounters with elk. Like less than 5 feet away. They are no joke. Around 400lbs. It was fine tho, didn't charge me or anything.
Take it from somebody who lives in a nation where it's American cousin is still alive and kicking, and doesn't behave all that differently: the hiker would not have long enough to register any emotion. This is not some overgrown furry Highland moo cow. Ohh, nooo. They are bad tempered and best enjoyed from a good 30 feet or more away, especially if you value not being thrown around like a ragdoll. They are not as violent, say, as an African water buffalo which will kill you for so much as farting upwind of them. They will pass through and ignore you if they can. But approaching one like that is having a deathwish. Mama bison barely tolerates something the size of a ferret near her calf-what do you think she will do to a hiker's little cocker spaniel?-*BINGO!* She would smell something a little too close to a wolf and bye bye Mommy's baby bunnykins. Stomped to death. Male bison are just plain ornery. The less said about that, the better. As for humans, let it be said that over the years there have been idiot tourists from Europe thinking they are dealing with Ol' Bessie and get too close to the herds in Yellowstone or BLM lands. Imagine an enraged beast that weighs about a ton charging at you at full speed and once it make contact you go flying 20 feet in the air and then you fall back to earth to be trampled by sharp hooves. It can jump fences. It can turn on a dime and unless you are on horseback you are pretty much up shit's creek without a paddle. A herd of bison on the run is enough to make the earth shake-literally. It shows up on a seismograph and if you are indoors things go smashing to the ground and the walls vibrate and window glass breaks. It makes the bulls of Pamplona look like a bunch of toddlers forming a human chain to cross the street while skipping and singing "London Bridge" with lollipops. Quite the surprise? I have heard of British understatement, but JESUS, man, this is ridiculous.
I like the message about reintroduction having a lot of potential but being complex and the emphasis on doing things properly.. moving the discussion away from all or nothing thinking. Well done!
This is very cool I didn’t know about the reintroduction of the European bison all over Europe. I thought it was just Poland. I had to google the about the European bison, and I am quite interested that the bison survived. Here is bit of the interesting survival story of the bison. It is very neat that Poland had a great part in saving the European bison (or the “zubr” as they call it) from extinction. The European bison was mostly hunted out in Europe, except for Poland. Polish kings took conservation measures and introduced harsh penalties for poaching the endangered species. By 1790, wild European bison were to only found in Poland and in the western Caucasus. After the World War I, the European bison faced almost extinction. The Germans hunted the bisons for sport, meat, and horns. (Similarly, the American Bison, commonly referred as the American buffalo, almost became extinct in 1890. Americans hunted the American Bison for sport and to starve out some Native American tribes that relied on the bison) In 1921, the last wild European Bison in Poland was killed by poachers, and in 1927 poachers killed the last wild bison in Caucasus. By 1927, there was only 54 European bison were recorded in zoos and private holdings. However, in 1922, Swedish, German, British, and Polish scientists decided to create the Society for the Protection of the European Bison. Polish members lent their bisons and were the first to contribute substantial funds for the breeding program. In 1929, the Bison Restitution Centre was formed in Poland and that began serious efforts to reintroduce the European bison back to the wild. In 1952, the first two bisons that returned back to the wild were released in Poland’s “Bialowieza Forest”. After 1964, there was more than a 100 bison in the Polish Forest. As of 2019, there is 7,500 European Bisons (the largest population is in Poland which is over 25% of the population).
Hi V Mag, we will be making a proper feature video about the European bison and its comeback all over Europe. For that we want to visit many sites and interview several people so it is still in production phase :) Thank you for posting this!! - Cheers, Duarte
@@iamamamaman I have just found a jaw bone with all teeth and have also found loose teeth and other bone parts at approximately 8 foot deep in clay whilst digging out for a car park. I have checked and these are from the steppe bison. I will be slowly clearing the area now to hopefully find the remaining parts. The area is on a site in abertillery in South Wales.
I love hearing stories of species reintroductions, reforestation, as well as stories of new nature refuges and trusts being set up. I hope these reintroductions come to pass and that they help bring things back into balance again. Nice video! Greetngs from Canada!
Through the whole production of this, I was checking the news hoping they hadn't released the Bison yet so we wouldn't have to rewrite this... They can go ahead with the release now though!
Honestly I think every species we can reintroduce the better. It's not like these islands we call home,are exactly blessed with a wide diversity of different species. I have traveled a fair bit and one thing that sticks out to me consistently is how the British countryside lacks "energy". My sister lives in Norway she gets Lynx,and Elk and other creatures in her area and everyone carries on living their lives with no conflict. I know this as it's a Sheep farming area and she is a vet nurse and the amount of farm animals and pets brought in to the surgery through any animal attack is low enough to be considered non existent. I think a lot of people in these islands will never be happy until they are turned into a barren wasteland of steel and concrete, which is why I am so happy to see so many rewilding projects happening. I think once you can change people's perceptions, which seem to be rooted in exaggerated fiction and out of date rumours, then it will really take off
We definitely need a cultural shift through education in the UK, particularly when talking about the public perception of birds of prey as far too many people still think they'll steal babies out of pushchairs and slaughter countless lambs. Speaking personally here, I do think we have an amazing diversity of animals in the UK... Maybe lacking a bit in the reptile/amphibian sector but we still have plenty of amazing species! The problem is too many have been pushed to the brink or beyond, and while they're *technically* still present you'd rarely ever see them. We have lots of work to do as a nation with only 13% tree coverage, but while there's always bad news around I've noticed a fair bit of good news recently and feel public perceptions are changing as we speak. Most recent that I can think of was the RHS' decision to no longer classify slugs and snails as 'pests' and also the decision to ban slug pellets. I expected a LOT more pushback around those decisions than there was, and it seems the general public are at least beginning to see these species as something to exist alongside with rather than exploit or destroy. There's plenty of work to do, but it's my personal hope that these videos could help to open some people's minds! Thank you for your comment, and thanks for watching! - Tom
Well, I actually think it has a lot of energy, but only in the landscape, not in terms of animals. Whenever I look at the hills and mountains for instance, I'm always reminded of the Walking with the Dinosaurs and think to what dinosaurs could've existed, but really, there are no actual animals that I can see most of the time. So it feels like Scotland is a country of ghosts... and is filled with ghostly energy...
@@js66613 you have to tune in for the energy,it does not take long. I live near a 2 small towns in North Scotland and can see animals moving around the landscape often. We have several breeds of deer, and smaller creatures plus many birds. But you need to learn how to look and wait and watch, gradually you will see more. good luck.
Its crazy how underrated this channel is. Soon enough you'll be able to spread your message to millions of people. Everyone here is proud of your teams work to change our planet in a positive way.
Here in the US we have reintroduced Bison (buffalo) with great results. We do however have massively more land than the UK to do this on. We now have 500,000 with 5K of those being in the Yellowstone herd. We are also reintroducing beaver in a lot of places because they are good for helping the environment.
In little Denmark we’ve reintroduced beavers in the wild about ten years ago. We have European Bison in two locations and wolf are travelling across the German borders. Things are looking brighter for Denmark.
Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years The Wilder Blean project, near Canterbury, is an experiment to see how well the bison can act as natural “ecosystem engineers” and restore wildlife. European bison are the continent’s largest land animal - bulls can weigh a tonne - and were extinct in the wild a century ago, but are recovering through reintroduction projects across Europe. Damian Carrington and Nicola Davis - Mon 18 Jul 2022 Source: The Guardian 2:02
Super interesting - isn't the UK running trials to reintroduce bisons actually? Aspen is also coming back thanks to you guys! As a Mossy Earth member I love that project :)
Great to hear that ! I always felt like getting into English forrest is bit sterile (like a big park ) , not very wild or not even a bit scary ... something I felt as a child when I went into primal forest in Poland (im originally from Poland) , magestic , dark , wild ,endless and bit scary . This teaches respect and harvest curiosity. I am happy that my childs would be able to get a bit of that experiance in future :) . Good luck Britian with it ! This land cannot be ruled only by people , sheeps and other livestock (and maybe foxes )...its sad , don't do it to your offsprings unless you wish them bad :)
I had to hit pause at 00:15. The world, organic or otherwise, knows nothing of balance much less some romanticized 'perfect balance.' Life on Earth and Earth itself is a story of constant change. That dynamic is what makes this place interesting. Some static teeter-totter of the gods?... I'll resume play at this point ... but I'm watching you.
The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life. Source: AMNH Org
Great video Tom! Gives a clear snapshot of where we’re at with reintroductions. Hope to see some of these charismatic species roaming the wild in the Uk once more.
Thanks Tim, glad you enjoyed this! Think we'll be hearing a debate on Lynx for a good few more years at least, but I have my fingers crossed for the success of the Bison project! - Tom
Fun fact. When the American Bison began making a dramatic comeback, we soon learned they were rather uncooperative about staying in a convenient geographical area. They really didn't obey park boundaries.
They need a lot of space to roam. Trying to reintroduce species like Bison in a relatively small space like 12,000 acres might not be a good idea. Yellowstone National Park is 3.5 million square miles (2.2 Million acres) and they still have problems with the bison encroaching on private land. 12,000 acres is pretty marginal for even a small herd of bison.
I was wandering in this comment section when I saw something strange; a suspishly familiar red magnet. I couldn't believe that right before my eyes was the greatest source of happiness on this virtual universe!! I pray to thee that thy grant the natives of this Mossy Earth some of your happiness wish a shoutout on your world!!
I think sheep guard dogs are pretty efficient at helping reduce conflict yes. Although, the guarding dog breeds have disappeared from most of the UK which is a problem. For the lynx side of things, as most sheep in Britain graze in fields the risk is less high than you might think. In Norway, where they do graze sheep in forests they do get a bit of mortality, but it is a completely different story over there.
@@MossyEarth, then, I guess you'll have to reintroduce gaurd dog breeds first. 🤣 Btw, I think it's better to introduce a pair of Lynx into Britain and see if they cause any problems. They have lots of deer and sheep graze in fields. They're a better candidate than the bisons, I guess.
Ei ei ei, Lynx don't attack livestock like wolves or bears. I don't actually know of cases in Europe, but if there are some, they are pretty rare. They are ambush hunters. Thats actually the main reason why their reintroduction is a bit easier than for other large carnivors. Or at least it causes fewer conflicts.
I’m in Adelaide Australia, we used to have a famous pub near the most popular beach that was a old-timey ship called “The Buffalo” that came from The UK originally but got converted into a restaurant. When I was like ten, my class visited it on a school excursion and my teacher commented on why they would name a British ship after an animal that was from nowhere near the UK and I piped up with my European Bison fact (literally just the fact that it was a thing that existed and that some people use Buffalo and Bison interchangeably, so maybe it was named after that)... I didn’t know European Bison literally used to live in the UK, I just knew they would be close (since everything in Europe is close, right?)
Lots of people aren't even aware of the existence of a European Bison, let alone their presence in the UK, but that's no surprise considering how rare they once were! Will be interesting to see whether this trial goes well though, while we're not sure exactly when they went extinct in Britain the landscape has definitely changed a lot since they were last here. Still a bit odd to have a British ship called The Buffalo, but the UK would have a research vessel called Boaty McBoatface if they hadn't overridden the public vote, so maybe there's not always sense behind a name... Thanks for watching! - Tom
Hey Marcel Gerson here, a wildlife ecologist from Vienna, who specialised in Large Carnivors. Cool that you're interested in the reintroduction of Large Carnivors and other big mammals. Obviously there are/were already many projects, which focused on reintroduction of Lynx in Central Europe. Actually the problem in Scotland would the rather the genetic diversity, because they can not connect to other lynx populations. Like you said, lynx don't attack livestock often, because they are ambush hunters. They also don't necessarily attack weak or young animals like wolves do. They just don't care that much, because of their hunting technic, they can even kill much larger prey. Ah btw you showed fallow deer instead of roe deer in the video ;)
I like that you also talk about potential problems. That can help to prevent things from becoming worse and to find solutions. I wish people would focus less on "is this a good thing or not?" and more on "how to make it a good thing for everyone?".
Some nice examples of native species that could be brought back to the UK (albeit with varying degrees of likelihood!). Looking forward to seeing Bison back soon!
Good question 🤔 I believe one aspect might be that it is an english term. However, above all my impression is that because it is an island and wildlife cannot easily come back on its own there is a much wider debate on the subject. - Cheers, Duarte
For lynx causing farmers issues, guardian dogs will be more than enough to handle the issue : lynx are already very shy, and a big dog like a maremma or a great pyrenee is quite intimidating for a wild carnivore to face. Unless they're truly desperate they won't take the risk in getting close to sheep if these dogs are in the area.
A lot if the potential issues with Lynx would definitely be helped with guard dogs, but to be fair proper locations for Lynx would help as sheep in open fields would be pretty safe as Lynx hunt mainly in forests.
I very much doubt livestock guardian dogs would work here in the UK. For example, I have footpaths through most of my fields, plenty of walkers and dog walkers use them, how would I stop a guardian dog from attacking a dog walker? As the guardian dog would likely view the unfamiliar dog as potential threat to the flock. I'd would probably get into trouble with the authorities for knowingly keeping a large and potentially dangerous dog off lead in what could be considered a "public area/walk way" in Scotland there's the 'right to roam' law, so it would make it even harder to do such a thing as anyone can walk through your land. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of a livestock guardian dog, I just struggle to see how it could work here in the UK unfortunately. I'd also imagine you'd be reported to rspca by the general public as many wouldn't know what a livestock guardian dog is and would likely be concerned about keeping a dog outside with sheep all year round, would probably see it as cruel. But like I said though, I personally like the idea of a livestock guardian dog, just wish it wasn't so complicated.
Forrests should feel at least a little bit scary, otherwise its just a yard with trees. It would feel so much more exhilirating knowing that there are wild bison around.
Thank you for the video, and your insightful comments/narrative. Here in the USA, I have seen video, and listened to narrators, that have told of reintroducing predators, such as the wolf 🐺, to different areas. I hope that you will be successful, in the UK.
Great video! Highly informative! Too sad that you don't get views. Haven't you monetized your videos? I didn't get any ads before it after the videos. If you haven't, please do it because that's the only way I can support you guys. Btw, I'm a new subscriber! Also, will you be covering the progress of these reintroduction programmes as well?
Hi Lee, welcome! We are a relatively new channel. That being said we recently had a video blow up quite a bit and get a tonne of views (up to 70K now!) so things are starting to move. This video just released so it does not have many views but I imagine by tomorrow it could have 1k - 3k which is pretty good for our channel size. As for monetization we reached it yesterday :) The money will be put straight into our rewilding programmes :) We will be following the reintroductions and hope to be working on some ourselves but more on that in a couple of months ;) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth, oh! I thought you haven't monetized because I didn't recieve any ads. I got one right now. I came to know about this channel after that viral video as well. One more question. Why did you exclude Wolves from your video? They, alongwith bisons and lynx, were among the top three choices in the poll.
@@Lone-Lee You caught us! We ehm... circumvented democracy a bit... 😄 Essentially we thought there were more lessons in showcasing the European elk (moose) as it was a bit more of a different example. The bison being the keystone species, the lynx the most likely predator re-introduction and the elk one that could be reintroduced but would probably not make as much sense right now. The wolf is to an extent similar to the lynx in terms of the effect on deer. However, it is a much less likely reintroduction at this stage compared with the lynx that is more accepted by the general public. So in all likelihood there would need to be a successful lynx reintroduction to even start talking about a proper wolf reintroduction. I hope that makes sense :) - Cheers, Duarte
You have never had Visent (European bison) and Rein dear in the same area at the same time. The rein dear is a part of the artic Taiga . The Visent is a part of the forest with betch and oak.
When wolves were reintroduced into yellowstone Park farmers were compensated for any stock taken by wolves (which worked well). We could try the same thing here
Reintroducing species can sometimes produce huge benefits. When wolves were brought back into Yellowstone, they introduced what some call "a geography of fear". Deer had grazed down everything which grew, including tree saplings along the banks of streams. The lack of trees this had caused, degraded habitats for many species, including birds and fish. As the grazing deer could no longer munch to their full desire, that gave plants a break.
Bringing the wisent back to the UK is cool, but I think just releasing park cattle everywhere might have been better. They’ve been local for at least 2000 years and lightly managed for much of that time. They probably could make it as a completely wild animal, are more locally adapted, and would give Europe a second wild bovine in a place where they could be easily contained if they do cause some major unforeseen problem.
Did you ever hear what happened to the land after the bison were wiped out in America? The land was wiped out as well. It turned to desert and still is all through the mid west.
British Hunters killed wolves in Britain, thylacine and Tasmanian emu in Tasmania, Falklands wolves in Falklands, and lions in India. It will be interesting how these animals will face Hunters!
I'd love to say that wouldn't be a problem... But I could also go on a massive rant about snares, fox hunting with dogs, gamekeeping estates and raptor persecution in the UK, so there's a risk these animals would face hunters if they get reintroduced. Of course it'd be illegal to kill them unless the populations grew too large, but that doesn't always stop people! At the very least the Bison in the trial will be safe, I don't think anyone has the guts to try hunting one of three Bison that are part of a major project in a popular public rewilding area! - Tom
In remote areas and natural parks it would be great to have big wild life fauna. Bison and moose would be great to see and watch in nature. This could be an impulse for tourism. Lynx would be amazing too.They love to inhabit rocky areas. They are very stealthy and not a real thread to sheeps. If there should be a problem with the animal stock in the future, there could be game hunting. The canadians and norwegians are managing their wild life stock since long.
Rural places in northern US, especially for professionals, provide “bear pepper spray” cans that shoot like 100ft+/30m+. interactions can be rare and non-injurious
So I wondered. Is reintroducing predators actually needed? Prey species like deer already have to be protected from hunting in order for their populations to stay stable right? So would not just allowing hunters to hunt more have the same affect? Or do predators like lynx do something useful to the ecosystem that human hunters don't?
Predators do nut just hunt and kill and eat their preys. They fail most of the times trying to grab their meal of the day. This keeps the herbivores alert and on the move. This benefits the overall landscape because not one single area is overgrazed with as a result a mosaic-like pattern of vegetation so that many other species of animals and plants find a niche to live and thrive. I hope this may begin to answer your questions. Best greetings!
As Tom M mentioned, the biggest benefit to Lynx are that they keep deer on the move. While 350,000 deer are culled yearly in the UK, we do have deer seasons to give them protections when required (with the exception of the invasive Muntjac, which can be killed year-round). These seasons allow deer to breed without issue, protect females with dependant young, and protect young males that are still growing antlers. While deer populations continue to increase, shooting out-of-season would result in many not reaching sexual maturity and a lot of orphaned fawns, which could cause populations to plummet easily. I believe there's been some debates on increasing the quota or widening the legal seasons, but I'm not fully informed on the intricacies of those. Hope this helped - Tom
@@MossyEarth Another issue is most hunters are only interested in hunt stags with big horns, so it creates a more population inbalance than being preyed by predators.
Population biology suggests that to reduce the population of deer, one would have to hunt over half the females every year. Current hunting is not anywhere near that scale. Hunting bucks does almost nothing to reduce the total population over time.
Regarding reintroduction of wolves, lynx and bears - British farmers could do what European farmers have done for thousands of years - get livestock guardian dogs, most affective means of livestock protection.
Can some one provide some examples of when reintroducing an animal to a habitat it previously lived in goes horribly wrong? Would like to research what went so wrong.
We also used to have Woolly Rhinos, Mammoths and Sabre-toothed Tigers. If you can recreate the climate and habitats of the 17thC then you might stand a chance. Unfortunately this would require the removal of all major roads and the entire rail network.
Many of us Americans are unaware that there's 3 species of bison But I'm sure many British people are also unaware of the European bison and probably associate bison with the wild west
Definitely! Might be because the European Bison has been so rare for so long, but the two American subspecies were also decimated before bouncing back... Probably just because the American ones were recorded more in the arts. Even me, when I think of Bison I immediately think of the Wild West, and yet we have a project working with European Bison! Long story short, I blame Hollywood... - Tom
I don’t believe it’s coincidence that all of these species cope with colder weather better than the current ones. We’re going into the cold with higher UV rays. Each of these species is suited to that. Edit: plus we’re going to need that thick fur. Hoping that selling fur becomes legal again.
I really wish people would stop referring to nature as "working in perfect balance." If that was true, nothing would ever evolve, nature would stagnate and die out. Nature is an ongoing process of competition and adaptation.
The herd was released in Kent, they now inhabit Blean Woods and according to the workers studying them are doing really well. Insect populations like Ants have gone up in healthy numbers, and some Mammal and Birds species have been coming back in greater numbers, in addition one of the Females gave birth to a healthy Calf and recently a Bull has joined them.
I’ve wanted tovisit the British isle for a long time, but mainly what interests me is how the island was mostly deforested in the neolithic before recorded history. I’d imagine such beastly men doing this around the time of stonehenge. Someday I’ll visit.
I love nature. However I do have a neighbour who almost bled out because of the horn of his bison that caught his major artery in his groin, and now someone else looks after them. Beautiful animals though, and I loved seeing the hybrid with the limousine cow in saskatoon zoo. Here in France I have seen two lynx in a field with sheep, near Clairevivre but I think they were more interested in the placenta of a recent birth than the lamb itself. There is a lot of prey here though. There are ibex too there.
Your stated goals are admirable. I esp am intrigued by the reforestation/afforestation in Iceland, Greenland and Caledonia and of course some of the steppe areas of the world. One thing though that strikes me and leaves me hollow is the numbers of trees involved. The goals here are simply entirely inadequate to mean anything close to establishing a forest. 2700 trees as an entire program? When I was younger, I once planted 2500 Douglas-fir trees in a single day. I have worked with reforestation contractors recently, replanting logging units. These crews regularly pump in 30,000 trees in a single day, every day. There are many contractors that I have worked with as a quality control inspector that match this production level regularly. if you are putting in a tree every 12', 2700 trees mean a mere 9 acres (or 3.5 hectares) of coverage. Simply laughable frankly considering the scale of the landscapes involved. The timber company I worked for has a yearly program of over 2 million seedlings on just a single tree farm. This represents 2% of the land area of a tree farm each year and represents only 5,000 acres annually. You make intriguing videos, but I do not think your organization is really very serious when it comes down to actually achieving anything notable when all is said and done. It smells more like a grift to me in order to solicit funds from clueless urban professionals that really do not know any better when it comes to forestry.
I can't see enough area to bring back bison and moose. If the UK is forced to pick one, I would think they should go with the bison. While they are larger, they are more easily maintained and are not nearly as aggressive. It would make sense to bring back a couple of keystone predators first in order to get the deer population under control, and then re-introduce the bison. Lynx and wolves would be ideal since both would hunt deer, but the wolves would also hunt the bison as they are pack hunters and can collectively bring down a full grown bull bison. Something a lynx cannot do. If the re-wilding and re-foresting efforts in Scotland are successful over the next few decades, and I hope they are, all of these species should be placed there to roam freely.
Thanks for your comment. Yeah, it's a complex issue, particularly with predator reintroductions. Scotland does seem like a particularly exciting area for these, with conversations about Lynx seeming to be the most advanced, but as you said, it'll take time, but we're in it for the long run :) - Cheers, Paul
Thank you for giving credit to Poland. Ther's so much misleading articles and videos lately falsely stating that it was Germany that supposedly saved the animal. Country that litteraly almost entirely wiped out the whole population.
I am wondering if it will soon be time to move up to a 9,3 x 74 rimmed in a side by side with all these potentially dangerous animals being introduced?
On one hand, I think re-introducing Lynx would be incredibly cool, but I'd have huge concerns about doing so if they would pose any risk to the Scottish Wildcat - a species in a very perilous situation. If they're at all likely to compete for food and territory, I think the Lynx need remain absent.
I think the Scottish Wildcat goes for smaller prey than Roe Deer, whereas the Lynx will deal with the overpopulation of that species. I agree on territory however. The Highlands is a big place and the best for rewilding but at the end of the day, we're on an island and it has its limits.
I think the benefits outweigh the risks and indeed Lynx might well help by taking out some of the domestic. I would guess they would reintroduce Lynx back into areas where there are no wild cats.
It's nice to reintroduce herbivores but you need carnivores to. The lynx would probably be the most acceptable choice for now but Britain needs a lot more forests for them.
@@boarbot7829 Well in continental Europe they just walk across the border and settle. This would also be the case in places like Scotland if it was connected to mainland Europe. The space is more or less there. However, as you said, they are "chonky and scary" so any reintroduction will be politically tricky.
The reintroduction of aspen and European lynx is a great idea. I'm not sure about the European bison (żubr). There is very little woodland in UK and the British isles are massively overgrazed due to the overpopulation of herbivores (both wild and domesticated e.g. sheep). You really need large predators like lynx to control the population of herbivores AND to give the trees a chance to grow. At this stage many young trees get eaten before they can reach a size, which protects them from deer and sheep. Therefore the reintroduction of yet another large herbivore doesn't seem well through through. Yes, we reintroduced them in Poland and they are spreading to other parts of Europe BUT we have more woodland here.
Axis also known as chital are shown in your video but I'm pretty sure they are not a native species as (ie) the red deer. They are from India. Keep up this marvelous work.
Thanks for focusing on the reintroduction of a predator animal - one too many people, some high in the hierarchy of power, truly believe that grazers are the only animals to considers in a habitat.
I think grazers are just easier for the general public to accept unfortunately. However in many places what we really need are predators! - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Our ranch in Canada sports three very large Grizzly (probably siblings) without a real incident with them in a decade. They eat mainly grass. Just south of us in the USA the ammo shops are 24 hours and the blam blam blam can be heard across the border! And it's BECAUSE US ranchers have altered the environment so much the predators have re-programmed themselves to take out cattle. Meanwhile just a few miles north, all is in balance. Black bears, on the other hand, we can send large numbers of them if you want them. They're assholes.
@@MossyEarth When I was 7 I used to go exploring the fields around our house, by myself or with my brother. If I lived in e.g. the US, with wolves or bears around, I very much doubt I'd have been allowed such freedom. So while I'm happy to see species be reintroduced, I also love the fact that Britain is a safe garden, and would not support anything that disturbs that. And aside, I am someone who used to share the romantic attraction so many here have to re-introducing predators, even volunteered with Trees for Life once, who I am sure you know - but there are other things to consider beyond dreaming of wilderness. It's not just NIMBY ignorance.
The UK is a human landscape, shaped by thousands of years of human habitation, humans are the ‘Keystone species’, it would be nice to improve what we currently have. I don’t really see the need to reintroduce species like wolves and bison. I would rather more meadows and coppiced woodlands. Also on the point about standing deadwood, the nature reserve near me is cutting down standing deadwood because they are worried about the legal liability of having dead wood fall on a passerby, we need a change in laws, not bison rubbing themselves up against trees.
Love the idea of lynx coming back, especially to the south if possible Terrified of say, running into them in the wild with a loved one since they of course can cause damage even if there's been no lethal human attacks but still
lynx have been successfully reintroduced to Portugal and suitable parts of Germany. There are empty suitable areas of the UK as well, primarily in Scotland. Any livestock problems can be solved through government financing of fences and to cover potential losses.
I like the idea of the lynx being reintroduced. The wolf being brought back to our national parks here completely rebalanced the ecology there.
Yes indeed a huge success in Yellowstone to control the deer population that were devastating the tree saplings.
@@keshatton2334 We have deer wandering into cities here now. They have no natural predator in Britain.
Do you also like the idea of pets and livestock being killed by them? There's a reason it's extinct here. The claim that they don't kill livestock is intellectually dishonest, they are known in Europe for killing sheep and an escaped lynx from a zoo in ceredigion did exactly this.
@@scatman8963 using a lynx that escaped from a zoo is also very dishonest though. It was obviuosly much more used to humans, and as such was nowhere as near as shy as a wild one would have been. Also not having grown in the wild it was almost certainly less able to properly hunt its natural prey (and thus more likely to prey on livestock).
@@scatman8963there’s an answer. Use electric fencing, get a livestock guardian dog or two (in a 1v1, a lynx can kill a livestock guardian dog), and when you’re around, ALWAYS keep an eye on your livestock and pets.
It’d be pretty crazy if bison got properly reintroduced into the wild. I could just imagine a hiker who hadn’t heard the news somehow bumping into a 6 ft tall bovine, it would be quite the surprise.
haha yes! That would be a proper wild encounter 😂 - Cheers, Duarte
I've only ever seen bison in a small enclosure in the golden gate park... Would be awesome to bump into some on a hike.
Let's get the lynx reintroduced! Make Hannah's dream come true!
I've gone hiking up in the Coastal Redwoods in California and had fairly close encounters with elk. Like less than 5 feet away. They are no joke. Around 400lbs. It was fine tho, didn't charge me or anything.
Take it from somebody who lives in a nation where it's American cousin is still alive and kicking, and doesn't behave all that differently: the hiker would not have long enough to register any emotion. This is not some overgrown furry Highland moo cow. Ohh, nooo. They are bad tempered and best enjoyed from a good 30 feet or more away, especially if you value not being thrown around like a ragdoll.
They are not as violent, say, as an African water buffalo which will kill you for so much as farting upwind of them. They will pass through and ignore you if they can. But approaching one like that is having a deathwish. Mama bison barely tolerates something the size of a ferret near her calf-what do you think she will do to a hiker's little cocker spaniel?-*BINGO!* She would smell something a little too close to a wolf and bye bye Mommy's baby bunnykins. Stomped to death. Male bison are just plain ornery. The less said about that, the better.
As for humans, let it be said that over the years there have been idiot tourists from Europe thinking they are dealing with Ol' Bessie and get too close to the herds in Yellowstone or BLM lands. Imagine an enraged beast that weighs about a ton charging at you at full speed and once it make contact you go flying 20 feet in the air and then you fall back to earth to be trampled by sharp hooves. It can jump fences. It can turn on a dime and unless you are on horseback you are pretty much up shit's creek without a paddle. A herd of bison on the run is enough to make the earth shake-literally. It shows up on a seismograph and if you are indoors things go smashing to the ground and the walls vibrate and window glass breaks. It makes the bulls of Pamplona look like a bunch of toddlers forming a human chain to cross the street while skipping and singing "London Bridge" with lollipops.
Quite the surprise? I have heard of British understatement, but JESUS, man, this is ridiculous.
I like the message about reintroduction having a lot of potential but being complex and the emphasis on doing things properly.. moving the discussion away from all or nothing thinking. Well done!
Thank you Tiago, Tom did a great job and it was good to have Hannah's input on this one as well :)
This is very cool I didn’t know about the reintroduction of the European bison all over Europe. I thought it was just Poland. I had to google the about the European bison, and I am quite interested that the bison survived.
Here is bit of the interesting survival story of the bison. It is very neat that Poland had a great part in saving the European bison (or the “zubr” as they call it) from extinction. The European bison was mostly hunted out in Europe, except for Poland. Polish kings took conservation measures and introduced harsh penalties for poaching the endangered species. By 1790, wild European bison were to only found in Poland and in the western Caucasus. After the World War I, the European bison faced almost extinction. The Germans hunted the bisons for sport, meat, and horns. (Similarly, the American Bison, commonly referred as the American buffalo, almost became extinct in 1890. Americans hunted the American Bison for sport and to starve out some Native American tribes that relied on the bison) In 1921, the last wild European Bison in Poland was killed by poachers, and in 1927 poachers killed the last wild bison in Caucasus. By 1927, there was only 54 European bison were recorded in zoos and private holdings. However, in 1922, Swedish, German, British, and Polish scientists decided to create the Society for the Protection of the European Bison. Polish members lent their bisons and were the first to contribute substantial funds for the breeding program. In 1929, the Bison Restitution Centre was formed in Poland and that began serious efforts to reintroduce the European bison back to the wild. In 1952, the first two bisons that returned back to the wild were released in Poland’s “Bialowieza Forest”. After 1964, there was more than a 100 bison in the Polish Forest. As of 2019, there is 7,500 European Bisons (the largest population is in Poland which is over 25% of the population).
Hi V Mag, we will be making a proper feature video about the European bison and its comeback all over Europe. For that we want to visit many sites and interview several people so it is still in production phase :) Thank you for posting this!! - Cheers, Duarte
Poland definitely deserves credit there! Would have been a shame to lose this majestic animal forever, like it's cousin the Aurox
@@MossyEarth Was the bison ever native here in the UK? i believe there wasn't any fossil records of them getting across doggerland?
@@iamamamaman I have just found a jaw bone with all teeth and have also found loose teeth and other bone parts at approximately 8 foot deep in clay whilst digging out for a car park. I have checked and these are from the steppe bison. I will be slowly clearing the area now to hopefully find the remaining parts. The area is on a site in abertillery in South Wales.
Thanks for saving me the time to google!
Exciting stuff! I find it weird to think bison and lynxes once roamed the UK. Would be cool having them back... hopefully without causing problems
Thank you Rasmus! It would be cool to have them back, and in Denmark too! 😉
Without causing problems ? Good luck with that.
Why stop at bison and lynx?
Why not reintroduce all of the large fauna that used to roam the UK?
What on earth is the point?
Bison may charge into ur hse.😆☘
@@MossyEarth And European bison roamed the UK again
I love hearing stories of species reintroductions, reforestation, as well as stories of new nature refuges and trusts being set up. I hope these reintroductions come to pass and that they help bring things back into balance again. Nice video! Greetngs from Canada!
Definitely my favourite Mossy Earth video yet. Well done Tom!
Yes Tom did a great job! Although favourite video yet... Matt you are hurting my feelings! - Cheers, Duarte
Bring them back
Through the whole production of this, I was checking the news hoping they hadn't released the Bison yet so we wouldn't have to rewrite this... They can go ahead with the release now though!
😂
@Prime Cr7stino 🇺🇦 10K
@@TReyvenFX 18k
@@josephcosta1446 19k
Honestly I think every species we can reintroduce the better. It's not like these islands we call home,are exactly blessed with a wide diversity of different species. I have traveled a fair bit and one thing that sticks out to me consistently is how the British countryside lacks "energy". My sister lives in Norway she gets Lynx,and Elk and other creatures in her area and everyone carries on living their lives with no conflict. I know this as it's a Sheep farming area and she is a vet nurse and the amount of farm animals and pets brought in to the surgery through any animal attack is low enough to be considered non existent. I think a lot of people in these islands will never be happy until they are turned into a barren wasteland of steel and concrete, which is why I am so happy to see so many rewilding projects happening. I think once you can change people's perceptions, which seem to be rooted in exaggerated fiction and out of date rumours, then it will really take off
We definitely need a cultural shift through education in the UK, particularly when talking about the public perception of birds of prey as far too many people still think they'll steal babies out of pushchairs and slaughter countless lambs.
Speaking personally here, I do think we have an amazing diversity of animals in the UK... Maybe lacking a bit in the reptile/amphibian sector but we still have plenty of amazing species! The problem is too many have been pushed to the brink or beyond, and while they're *technically* still present you'd rarely ever see them. We have lots of work to do as a nation with only 13% tree coverage, but while there's always bad news around I've noticed a fair bit of good news recently and feel public perceptions are changing as we speak.
Most recent that I can think of was the RHS' decision to no longer classify slugs and snails as 'pests' and also the decision to ban slug pellets. I expected a LOT more pushback around those decisions than there was, and it seems the general public are at least beginning to see these species as something to exist alongside with rather than exploit or destroy. There's plenty of work to do, but it's my personal hope that these videos could help to open some people's minds! Thank you for your comment, and thanks for watching! - Tom
@@MossyEarth The biggest killer of lambs are ravens and crows, yet farmers can't touch them.
Well, I actually think it has a lot of energy, but only in the landscape, not in terms of animals. Whenever I look at the hills and mountains for instance, I'm always reminded of the Walking with the Dinosaurs and think to what dinosaurs could've existed, but really, there are no actual animals that I can see most of the time. So it feels like Scotland is a country of ghosts... and is filled with ghostly energy...
@@js66613 you have to tune in for the energy,it does not take long. I live near a 2 small towns in North Scotland and can see animals moving around the landscape often. We have several breeds of deer, and smaller creatures plus many birds. But you need to learn how to look and wait and watch, gradually you will see more. good luck.
@@testaccount4191 Are you sure about that? I heard that that's just a myth. If at all, they go after stillborn or sick lambs.
Its crazy how underrated this channel is. Soon enough you'll be able to spread your message to millions of people. Everyone here is proud of your teams work to change our planet in a positive way.
Thank you that means a lot to me :) - Cheers, Duarte
Nicely balanced view of it, it's a complex issue, but I'd love to see some of these animals back in the UK
It would be nice to see a bison wander through that pretty wild garden of yours :) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth haha, I think a bison would take up the whole of my garden... could do with some around Hackney marshes though... :)
Here in the US we have reintroduced Bison (buffalo) with great results. We do however have massively more land than the UK to do this on. We now have 500,000 with 5K of those being in the Yellowstone herd. We are also reintroducing beaver in a lot of places because they are good for helping the environment.
Yes, it's awesome! The buff are back! Buffalo burger is available at the health food store, and there's a herd south of town of about 20.
In little Denmark we’ve reintroduced beavers in the wild about ten years ago. We have European Bison in two locations and wolf are travelling across the German borders. Things are looking brighter for Denmark.
@@kasperkjrsgaard1447 Glad to hear that. My fathers mother was from Denmark. It is beautiful country.
Congrats Tom on another great video! I’d love to see a Lynx reintroduction project!
Based on this I think we should make a feature video of the famous Iberian lynx! Would be fun to tell that story :) - Cheers, Duarte
Wild bison return to UK for first time in thousands of years
The Wilder Blean project, near Canterbury, is an experiment to see how well the bison can act as natural “ecosystem engineers” and restore wildlife.
European bison are the continent’s largest land animal - bulls can weigh a tonne - and were extinct in the wild a century ago, but are recovering through reintroduction projects across Europe.
Damian Carrington and Nicola Davis - Mon 18 Jul 2022
Source: The Guardian
2:02
Super interesting - isn't the UK running trials to reintroduce bisons actually? Aspen is also coming back thanks to you guys! As a Mossy Earth member I love that project :)
Great to hear that ! I always felt like getting into English forrest is bit sterile (like a big park ) , not very wild or not even a bit scary ... something I felt as a child when I went into primal forest in Poland (im originally from Poland) , magestic , dark , wild ,endless and bit scary . This teaches respect and harvest curiosity.
I am happy that my childs would be able to get a bit of that experiance in future :) . Good luck Britian with it ! This land cannot be ruled only by people , sheeps and other livestock (and maybe foxes )...its sad , don't do it to your offsprings unless you wish them bad :)
Well done Tom! Really enjoyed this one 🤟
I had to hit pause at 00:15. The world, organic or otherwise, knows nothing of balance much less some romanticized 'perfect balance.' Life on Earth and Earth itself is a story of constant change. That dynamic is what makes this place interesting. Some static teeter-totter of the gods?... I'll resume play at this point ... but I'm watching you.
Love your work man it's so great to see such well-made videos about the natural world.
Very professional work. Great video! 2:13
The term biodiversity (from “biological diversity”) refers to the variety of life on Earth at all its levels, from genes to ecosystems, and can encompass the evolutionary, ecological, and cultural processes that sustain life.
Source: AMNH Org
Great video Tom! Gives a clear snapshot of where we’re at with reintroductions. Hope to see some of these charismatic species roaming the wild in the Uk once more.
Thanks Tim, glad you enjoyed this! Think we'll be hearing a debate on Lynx for a good few more years at least, but I have my fingers crossed for the success of the Bison project! - Tom
Excellent video! Can’t wait for the next one
Thank you Tobias!
Fun fact. When the American Bison began making a dramatic comeback, we soon learned they were rather uncooperative about staying in a convenient geographical area. They really didn't obey park boundaries.
They need a lot of space to roam. Trying to reintroduce species like Bison in a relatively small space like 12,000 acres might not be a good idea. Yellowstone National Park is 3.5 million square miles (2.2 Million acres) and they still have problems with the bison encroaching on private land. 12,000 acres is pretty marginal for even a small herd of bison.
Enjoyed this info - cheers!
Thank you Shannon :) - Cheers, Duarte
:) good info
Thanks Daily Dose! I've been a fan of your content for a long while, so it means the world to see you enjoyed some of ours! - Tom
I was wandering in this comment section when I saw something strange; a suspishly familiar red magnet. I couldn't believe that right before my eyes was the greatest source of happiness on this virtual universe!!
I pray to thee that thy grant the natives of this Mossy Earth some of your happiness wish a shoutout on your world!!
Super informative, thank you!
Thank you Joana!
This is such a great team with an awesome goal. I am so glad that you guys got more subscribers since last video!
In the linx case you could do like you did in Portugal and helping to train patrol dogs to protect livestock
I think sheep guard dogs are pretty efficient at helping reduce conflict yes. Although, the guarding dog breeds have disappeared from most of the UK which is a problem. For the lynx side of things, as most sheep in Britain graze in fields the risk is less high than you might think. In Norway, where they do graze sheep in forests they do get a bit of mortality, but it is a completely different story over there.
@@MossyEarth, then, I guess you'll have to reintroduce gaurd dog breeds first. 🤣
Btw, I think it's better to introduce a pair of Lynx into Britain and see if they cause any problems. They have lots of deer and sheep graze in fields. They're a better candidate than the bisons, I guess.
Ei ei ei, Lynx don't attack livestock like wolves or bears. I don't actually know of cases in Europe, but if there are some, they are pretty rare. They are ambush hunters. Thats actually the main reason why their reintroduction is a bit easier than for other large carnivors. Or at least it causes fewer conflicts.
I’m in Adelaide Australia, we used to have a famous pub near the most popular beach that was a old-timey ship called “The Buffalo” that came from The UK originally but got converted into a restaurant.
When I was like ten, my class visited it on a school excursion and my teacher commented on why they would name a British ship after an animal that was from nowhere near the UK and I piped up with my European Bison fact (literally just the fact that it was a thing that existed and that some people use Buffalo and Bison interchangeably, so maybe it was named after that)... I didn’t know European Bison literally used to live in the UK, I just knew they would be close (since everything in Europe is close, right?)
Lots of people aren't even aware of the existence of a European Bison, let alone their presence in the UK, but that's no surprise considering how rare they once were! Will be interesting to see whether this trial goes well though, while we're not sure exactly when they went extinct in Britain the landscape has definitely changed a lot since they were last here.
Still a bit odd to have a British ship called The Buffalo, but the UK would have a research vessel called Boaty McBoatface if they hadn't overridden the public vote, so maybe there's not always sense behind a name... Thanks for watching! - Tom
Hey Marcel Gerson here, a wildlife ecologist from Vienna, who specialised in Large Carnivors. Cool that you're interested in the reintroduction of Large Carnivors and other big mammals. Obviously there are/were already many projects, which focused on reintroduction of Lynx in Central Europe. Actually the problem in Scotland would the rather the genetic diversity, because they can not connect to other lynx populations. Like you said, lynx don't attack livestock often, because they are ambush hunters. They also don't necessarily attack weak or young animals like wolves do. They just don't care that much, because of their hunting technic, they can even kill much larger prey. Ah btw you showed fallow deer instead of roe deer in the video ;)
I like that you also talk about potential problems. That can help to prevent things from becoming worse and to find solutions. I wish people would focus less on "is this a good thing or not?" and more on "how to make it a good thing for everyone?".
Some nice examples of native species that could be brought back to the UK (albeit with varying degrees of likelihood!). Looking forward to seeing Bison back soon!
Varying degrees indeed :) - It is still worth using them as an example though. Thank you for your input on this video Hannah! - Cheers, Duarte
I went to the Alladale reserve 3 times with my school and saw their bison, elk and wild boar such a treat to see :) Know a guy who still works there.
So excited
Thank you!
Idk why but when searching for Re wilding Europe Most of it (the vídeos) are about Britain, do you know why?
Good question 🤔 I believe one aspect might be that it is an english term. However, above all my impression is that because it is an island and wildlife cannot easily come back on its own there is a much wider debate on the subject. - Cheers, Duarte
Just to add to that, we will be covering a lot more rewilding in Europe in general! Don't you worry about that :)
@@MossyEarth Makes sense, thanks
@@MossyEarth I was expacting that but I'm still Glad to hear that. Thanks
Yes and expect some stuff coming out of Portugal soon :)
For lynx causing farmers issues, guardian dogs will be more than enough to handle the issue : lynx are already very shy, and a big dog like a maremma or a great pyrenee is quite intimidating for a wild carnivore to face.
Unless they're truly desperate they won't take the risk in getting close to sheep if these dogs are in the area.
A lot if the potential issues with Lynx would definitely be helped with guard dogs, but to be fair proper locations for Lynx would help as sheep in open fields would be pretty safe as Lynx hunt mainly in forests.
I very much doubt livestock guardian dogs would work here in the UK. For example, I have footpaths through most of my fields, plenty of walkers and dog walkers use them, how would I stop a guardian dog from attacking a dog walker? As the guardian dog would likely view the unfamiliar dog as potential threat to the flock. I'd would probably get into trouble with the authorities for knowingly keeping a large and potentially dangerous dog off lead in what could be considered a "public area/walk way" in Scotland there's the 'right to roam' law, so it would make it even harder to do such a thing as anyone can walk through your land. Don't get me wrong I love the idea of a livestock guardian dog, I just struggle to see how it could work here in the UK unfortunately. I'd also imagine you'd be reported to rspca by the general public as many wouldn't know what a livestock guardian dog is and would likely be concerned about keeping a dog outside with sheep all year round, would probably see it as cruel. But like I said though, I personally like the idea of a livestock guardian dog, just wish it wasn't so complicated.
Forrests should feel at least a little bit scary, otherwise its just a yard with trees. It would feel so much more exhilirating knowing that there are wild bison around.
Thank you for the video, and your insightful comments/narrative. Here in the USA, I have seen video, and listened to narrators, that have told of reintroducing predators, such as the wolf 🐺, to different areas. I hope that you will be successful, in the UK.
Great video! Highly informative!
Too sad that you don't get views.
Haven't you monetized your videos? I didn't get any ads before it after the videos. If you haven't, please do it because that's the only way I can support you guys. Btw, I'm a new subscriber!
Also, will you be covering the progress of these reintroduction programmes as well?
Hi Lee, welcome! We are a relatively new channel. That being said we recently had a video blow up quite a bit and get a tonne of views (up to 70K now!) so things are starting to move. This video just released so it does not have many views but I imagine by tomorrow it could have 1k - 3k which is pretty good for our channel size. As for monetization we reached it yesterday :) The money will be put straight into our rewilding programmes :)
We will be following the reintroductions and hope to be working on some ourselves but more on that in a couple of months ;) - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth, oh! I thought you haven't monetized because I didn't recieve any ads. I got one right now.
I came to know about this channel after that viral video as well.
One more question. Why did you exclude Wolves from your video?
They, alongwith bisons and lynx, were among the top three choices in the poll.
@@Lone-Lee You caught us! We ehm... circumvented democracy a bit... 😄 Essentially we thought there were more lessons in showcasing the European elk (moose) as it was a bit more of a different example. The bison being the keystone species, the lynx the most likely predator re-introduction and the elk one that could be reintroduced but would probably not make as much sense right now. The wolf is to an extent similar to the lynx in terms of the effect on deer. However, it is a much less likely reintroduction at this stage compared with the lynx that is more accepted by the general public. So in all likelihood there would need to be a successful lynx reintroduction to even start talking about a proper wolf reintroduction. I hope that makes sense :) - Cheers, Duarte
Very cool I'm doing an essay on Bison currently and my Brothers memorial tree we planted an Aspen.
Great choice for a memorial tree, I think they're a fantastic way to honour a loved one. Good luck with your essay! - Tom
You have never had Visent (European bison) and Rein dear in the same area at the same time.
The rein dear is a part of the artic Taiga .
The Visent is a part of the forest with betch and oak.
Hearing the moos of bison is quite soothing i must say
When wolves were reintroduced into yellowstone Park farmers were compensated for any stock taken by wolves (which worked well). We could try the same thing here
Will you make a special 10k?
It's something we're considering, but we haven't planned anything just yet so we'll see. Thanks for all of your support Joaquim! - Tom
Does the uk even have room?
Was thinking that. Any space that isn't overtaken by a village, town or city would then get overcrowded by hikers.
Reintroducing species can sometimes produce huge benefits. When wolves were brought back into Yellowstone, they introduced what some call "a geography of fear". Deer had grazed down everything which grew, including tree saplings along the banks of streams. The lack of trees this had caused, degraded habitats for many species, including birds and fish. As the grazing deer could no longer munch to their full desire, that gave plants a break.
Aspens are so beautiful in the fall. They turn gold and shimmer in the wind.
Bringing the wisent back to the UK is cool, but I think just releasing park cattle everywhere might have been better. They’ve been local for at least 2000 years and lightly managed for much of that time. They probably could make it as a completely wild animal, are more locally adapted, and would give Europe a second wild bovine in a place where they could be easily contained if they do cause some major unforeseen problem.
Good luke with this
We are not directly involved in these particular projects but will look to get involved wherever possible :)
VERY good video. Finally someone pointing out the complications of ecology (especially human shaped pseudo ecology) of natural landscape restoration.
Did you ever hear what happened to the land after the bison were wiped out in America? The land was wiped out as well. It turned to desert and still is all through the mid west.
All the Bison that used to live here are extinct.
British Hunters killed wolves in Britain, thylacine and Tasmanian emu in Tasmania, Falklands wolves in Falklands, and lions in India. It will be interesting how these animals will face Hunters!
I'd love to say that wouldn't be a problem... But I could also go on a massive rant about snares, fox hunting with dogs, gamekeeping estates and raptor persecution in the UK, so there's a risk these animals would face hunters if they get reintroduced. Of course it'd be illegal to kill them unless the populations grew too large, but that doesn't always stop people! At the very least the Bison in the trial will be safe, I don't think anyone has the guts to try hunting one of three Bison that are part of a major project in a popular public rewilding area! - Tom
Interesting arguments - hope to see some "new" species in the UK soon!
It will be really exciting to see how the bison fares this year :)
Good luck with idiotic attitude of British landowners and hunters
In remote areas and natural parks it would be great to have big wild life fauna. Bison and moose would be great to see and watch in nature. This could be an impulse for tourism. Lynx would be amazing too.They love to inhabit rocky areas. They are very stealthy and not a real thread to sheeps. If there should be a problem with the animal stock in the future, there could be game hunting. The canadians and norwegians are managing their wild life stock since long.
Rural places in northern US, especially for professionals, provide “bear pepper spray” cans that shoot like 100ft+/30m+. interactions can be rare and non-injurious
So I wondered. Is reintroducing predators actually needed? Prey species like deer already have to be protected from hunting in order for their populations to stay stable right? So would not just allowing hunters to hunt more have the same affect? Or do predators like lynx do something useful to the ecosystem that human hunters don't?
Predators do nut just hunt and kill and eat their preys. They fail most of the times trying to grab their meal of the day. This keeps the herbivores alert and on the move. This benefits the overall landscape because not one single area is overgrazed with as a result a mosaic-like pattern of vegetation so that many other species of animals and plants find a niche to live and thrive. I hope this may begin to answer your questions. Best greetings!
As Tom M mentioned, the biggest benefit to Lynx are that they keep deer on the move. While 350,000 deer are culled yearly in the UK, we do have deer seasons to give them protections when required (with the exception of the invasive Muntjac, which can be killed year-round). These seasons allow deer to breed without issue, protect females with dependant young, and protect young males that are still growing antlers.
While deer populations continue to increase, shooting out-of-season would result in many not reaching sexual maturity and a lot of orphaned fawns, which could cause populations to plummet easily. I believe there's been some debates on increasing the quota or widening the legal seasons, but I'm not fully informed on the intricacies of those. Hope this helped - Tom
@@MossyEarth Another issue is most hunters are only interested in hunt stags with big horns, so it creates a more population inbalance than being preyed by predators.
Population biology suggests that to reduce the population of deer, one would have to hunt over half the females every year. Current hunting is not anywhere near that scale. Hunting bucks does almost nothing to reduce the total population over time.
Regarding reintroduction of wolves, lynx and bears - British farmers could do what European farmers have done for thousands of years - get livestock guardian dogs, most affective means of livestock protection.
I notice your map did not include Marwell zoo that had a Bison herd forty odd years ago
Best of Luck!
Can some one provide some examples of when reintroducing an animal to a habitat it previously lived in goes horribly wrong? Would like to research what went so wrong.
European bison are thriving nowadays in terms of population, last week some were released in the woods near Canterbury
We also used to have Woolly Rhinos, Mammoths and Sabre-toothed Tigers. If you can recreate the climate and habitats of the 17thC then you might stand a chance. Unfortunately this would require the removal of all major roads and the entire rail network.
Many of us Americans are unaware that there's 3 species of bison
But I'm sure many British people are also unaware of the European bison and probably associate bison with the wild west
Definitely! Might be because the European Bison has been so rare for so long, but the two American subspecies were also decimated before bouncing back... Probably just because the American ones were recorded more in the arts. Even me, when I think of Bison I immediately think of the Wild West, and yet we have a project working with European Bison!
Long story short, I blame Hollywood... - Tom
I don’t believe it’s coincidence that all of these species cope with colder weather better than the current ones.
We’re going into the cold with higher UV rays. Each of these species is suited to that.
Edit: plus we’re going to need that thick fur. Hoping that selling fur becomes legal again.
I really wish people would stop referring to nature as "working in perfect balance." If that was true, nothing would ever evolve, nature would stagnate and die out. Nature is an ongoing process of competition and adaptation.
Bison being reintroduced to the British Isles in the spring of 2022... it's April 2023, any update on this?
The herd was released in Kent, they now inhabit Blean Woods and according to the workers studying them are doing really well.
Insect populations like Ants have gone up in healthy numbers, and some Mammal and Birds species have been coming back in greater numbers, in addition one of the Females gave birth to a healthy Calf and recently a Bull has joined them.
I’ve wanted tovisit the British isle for a long time, but mainly what interests me is how the island was mostly deforested in the neolithic before recorded history. I’d imagine such beastly men doing this around the time of stonehenge. Someday I’ll visit.
Do bison and moose use different habitats? It sounds as if they fulfill similar functions in the landscape.
May be wind farm equipment can be added to the area this would make it more environmentally sound
I love nature. However I do have a neighbour who almost bled out because of the horn of his bison that caught his major artery in his groin, and now someone else looks after them. Beautiful animals though, and I loved seeing the hybrid with the limousine cow in saskatoon zoo. Here in France I have seen two lynx in a field with sheep, near Clairevivre but I think they were more interested in the placenta of a recent birth than the lamb itself. There is a lot of prey here though. There are ibex too there.
Your stated goals are admirable. I esp am intrigued by the reforestation/afforestation in Iceland, Greenland and Caledonia and of course some of the steppe areas of the world. One thing though that strikes me and leaves me hollow is the numbers of trees involved. The goals here are simply entirely inadequate to mean anything close to establishing a forest. 2700 trees as an entire program? When I was younger, I once planted 2500 Douglas-fir trees in a single day. I have worked with reforestation contractors recently, replanting logging units. These crews regularly pump in 30,000 trees in a single day, every day. There are many contractors that I have worked with as a quality control inspector that match this production level regularly. if you are putting in a tree every 12', 2700 trees mean a mere 9 acres (or 3.5 hectares) of coverage. Simply laughable frankly considering the scale of the landscapes involved. The timber company I worked for has a yearly program of over 2 million seedlings on just a single tree farm. This represents 2% of the land area of a tree farm each year and represents only 5,000 acres annually. You make intriguing videos, but I do not think your organization is really very serious when it comes down to actually achieving anything notable when all is said and done. It smells more like a grift to me in order to solicit funds from clueless urban professionals that really do not know any better when it comes to forestry.
Do we actually have the space for bison? They struggle somewhat in America and they has a lot more spare space than we do.
We have Beavers in the UK. We need more. Bison would be nice but we would need wolves.
Great video
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching! - Tom
I can't see enough area to bring back bison and moose. If the UK is forced to pick one, I would think they should go with the bison. While they are larger, they are more easily maintained and are not nearly as aggressive.
It would make sense to bring back a couple of keystone predators first in order to get the deer population under control, and then re-introduce the bison. Lynx and wolves would be ideal since both would hunt deer, but the wolves would also hunt the bison as they are pack hunters and can collectively bring down a full grown bull bison. Something a lynx cannot do.
If the re-wilding and re-foresting efforts in Scotland are successful over the next few decades, and I hope they are, all of these species should be placed there to roam freely.
Thanks for your comment. Yeah, it's a complex issue, particularly with predator reintroductions. Scotland does seem like a particularly exciting area for these, with conversations about Lynx seeming to be the most advanced, but as you said, it'll take time, but we're in it for the long run :) - Cheers, Paul
Thank you for giving credit to Poland. Ther's so much misleading articles and videos lately falsely stating that it was Germany that supposedly saved the animal. Country that litteraly almost entirely wiped out the whole population.
Welcome back, wildlife! My question is how can we protect them? Is it Scotland safe place to them?
I work with the wildwood trust do you have any involvement with us?
Just found this channel, and you guys are doing some incredible work!
Thank you, we'll keep doing our best! - Tom
If you want to protect your herd of sheep then add in a few llamas or maybe a donkey or two. Both are highly protective to other animals around them.
is it possible to rewild something that would eat a lot of midges
I am wondering if it will soon be time to move up to a 9,3 x 74 rimmed in a side by side with all these potentially dangerous animals being introduced?
On one hand, I think re-introducing Lynx would be incredibly cool, but I'd have huge concerns about doing so if they would pose any risk to the Scottish Wildcat - a species in a very perilous situation. If they're at all likely to compete for food and territory, I think the Lynx need remain absent.
I think the Scottish Wildcat goes for smaller prey than Roe Deer, whereas the Lynx will deal with the overpopulation of that species. I agree on territory however. The Highlands is a big place and the best for rewilding but at the end of the day, we're on an island and it has its limits.
I think the benefits outweigh the risks and indeed Lynx might well help by taking out some of the domestic. I would guess they would reintroduce Lynx back into areas where there are no wild cats.
It's nice to reintroduce herbivores but you need carnivores to. The lynx would probably be the most acceptable choice for now but Britain needs a lot more forests for them.
I'd love to learn what a wolf reintroduction to the UK would look like.
It's on the list :)
I don’t think that could ever work. Just too chonky and scary.
@@boarbot7829 Well in continental Europe they just walk across the border and settle. This would also be the case in places like Scotland if it was connected to mainland Europe. The space is more or less there. However, as you said, they are "chonky and scary" so any reintroduction will be politically tricky.
@@MossyEarth It seems Scotland is always the option for reintroductions! But I guess it definitely makes the most sense.
@@boarbot7829 It just has a bit more space for wildlife :)
From this video I learned that Bisons were introduced near my house recently. How did I not know about this earlier?
so these images we've see of Scotland's treeless highlands is not because of altitude but deforestation and deer grazing ?
Will you need to keep your bison on a lead and will you need to clear up his droppings?
What if a 25 mile sq area was walled off no general admission and bring back bear and all the others you mentioned, and see what happens.
Correction: Mentions roe deer: shows a clip of chital deer..
The bison reintro is also a trial in a large encloused area
Can you make video about freshwater seals such as Saimaa ringedseal and Baikalseal.
Here in the US bison and moose are dangerous, but we have plenty of room for them. Good luck in the UK. have you seen video of what bison do to cars?
Remember that we’re talking about the European bison, the Visent. It’s a shy forest animal, nothing like the american cousin.
The reintroduction of aspen and European lynx is a great idea. I'm not sure about the European bison (żubr). There is very little woodland in UK and the British isles are massively overgrazed due to the overpopulation of herbivores (both wild and domesticated e.g. sheep). You really need large predators like lynx to control the population of herbivores AND to give the trees a chance to grow. At this stage many young trees get eaten before they can reach a size, which protects them from deer and sheep. Therefore the reintroduction of yet another large herbivore doesn't seem well through through. Yes, we reintroduced them in Poland and they are spreading to other parts of Europe BUT we have more woodland here.
Axis also known as chital are shown in your video but I'm pretty sure they are not a native species as (ie) the red deer. They are from India. Keep up this marvelous work.
Thanks for focusing on the reintroduction of a predator animal - one too many people, some high in the hierarchy of power, truly believe that grazers are the only animals to considers in a habitat.
I think grazers are just easier for the general public to accept unfortunately. However in many places what we really need are predators! - Cheers, Duarte
@@MossyEarth Our ranch in Canada sports three very large Grizzly (probably siblings) without a real incident with them in a decade. They eat mainly grass. Just south of us in the USA the ammo shops are 24 hours and the blam blam blam can be heard across the border! And it's BECAUSE US ranchers have altered the environment so much the predators have re-programmed themselves to take out cattle. Meanwhile just a few miles north, all is in balance. Black bears, on the other hand, we can send large numbers of them if you want them. They're assholes.
@@MossyEarth When I was 7 I used to go exploring the fields around our house, by myself or with my brother. If I lived in e.g. the US, with wolves or bears around, I very much doubt I'd have been allowed such freedom. So while I'm happy to see species be reintroduced, I also love the fact that Britain is a safe garden, and would not support anything that disturbs that. And aside, I am someone who used to share the romantic attraction so many here have to re-introducing predators, even volunteered with Trees for Life once, who I am sure you know - but there are other things to consider beyond dreaming of wilderness. It's not just NIMBY ignorance.
Yes - man eating predators back in the UK countryside please! What a naive point of view you have. "Without incident in a decade" lol.
The UK is a human landscape, shaped by thousands of years of human habitation, humans are the ‘Keystone species’, it would be nice to improve what we currently have. I don’t really see the need to reintroduce species like wolves and bison. I would rather more meadows and coppiced woodlands.
Also on the point about standing deadwood, the nature reserve near me is cutting down standing deadwood because they are worried about the legal liability of having dead wood fall on a passerby, we need a change in laws, not bison rubbing themselves up against trees.
There are visents in Avesta, Sweden too
Love the idea of lynx coming back, especially to the south if possible
Terrified of say, running into them in the wild with a loved one since they of course can cause damage even if there's been no lethal human attacks but still
We have deers that eat bark of the trees and when they do, they say it's damage and they cull them!! So are they going to shot them too?
lynx have been successfully reintroduced to Portugal and suitable parts of Germany. There are empty suitable areas of the UK as well, primarily in Scotland. Any livestock problems can be solved through government financing of fences and to cover potential losses.