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I’m an educator in Canada for preschool children, and for every book my colleagues read about big bad wolves, I read books that talk about the importance of wolves in our ecosystem; how they’re not bad, they’re pack, or family oriented animals, that though they may sound scary when they howl, they’re simply looking for their friends. I support changing the conversation around apex predators, and bringing them back into spaces they once roamed!
Have you seen the wildlife cam channel from Yukon here on YT? My Canadian missus also teaches younger kids and they love watching ten minutes of the edited footage. Always fun to observe species that aren't found in other countries.
I just love the idea of you somehow trying to communicate this to the ancient peoples that wiped them out 😆 ‘trust me they’re just calling their friends they’re family orientated, really.’ 😂
and as a western Norwegian i can tell you that the day a wolf is spotted west of the Norwegian mountains, is the day me and at least 40 others in my immediate community walk into the mountains with our rifles to do some "bird hunting". our forefathers killed them for a reason. and it wasn't for their family oriented looking for friends. it was for killing our dogs, slaughtering 15 sheep for fun when one would've fed them, and being a threath to our children when they play outside.
Once my envi-sci degree is done with, I would absolutely LOVE to dedicate my work to bringing wolves back to the UK. It was the story of the reintroduction in Yellowstone that got me passionate about ecology. I'd love to help do the same here.
your passion is so inspiring. I'm a 21 year old and it's so difficult to not be heartbroken at how our species treats the world. to be able to provide a community of hope and action like you do is the most valuable and nurturing thing at the moment. thank you.
indeed. The people around me appear to not care about the environement at all. 99% of species that ever have lived on the planet are extinct, so who cares about current mass extinction blablabla. careless, reckless s*it
You NEVER reintroduced wolves tho. Wolves were never reintroduced wolves ANYWHERE in europe. The only it happened was in USA, and only for a few very rare cases
Wolves are a hugely beneficial and unfairly maligned species! I hope they're reintroduced in many, many places!! Thank you for your tireless dedication, boundless enthusiasm and always interesting videos!!
Agreed! The Scots asked me, when hiking in several areas, if I liked the Scottish landscape. I do. But only the few parts with trees and woods. Most of Scotland is so barren 😢
@@TheRewildlife Mobile, solar-powered, electric web fencing is commonly used in America where I live. It's affordable, effective, and very easy to use for rotational grazing of sheep, goats, cattle, poultry, and even ponies. Perhaps that could help both the farmers and the environment!
I'm 58 yrs old and live on the edge of The Trough of Bowland, land preserved purely to fulfil the bloodlust of the upper classes. I hope by the end of my life we will see wolves once again roaming free in Britain.
To put it mildly- Ohio was similarly ecologically devastated by settlers. Over the course of my 30 years, we've gotten back all out predatory birds, black bears, fishers (a large, black weasel the size of a small dog) & bobcats, but also an invasive population of coyote moving in. Despite loving the woods & roaming around the wild places near me a lot, I've yet to see anything in person beyond the coyote & I've only seen one once, just this spring. I haven't even seen an otter yet, & we have recent video from the 5 or so years of them in the river next to me. None of them are being particularly problematic to anyone.
@@MrChristianDT As I understand it Coyote seem to be a particular problem in NA, I really don't know what causes it as it's not a field I'm an expert (just a passionate advocate of rewilding) in.
@@Para2normal They had a closely related relative in the eastern Woodlands called Red Wolf, which is nearly extinct. They mostly just go after smaller game, like rabbits & gophers, though, so they aren't helping with the deer. Nearest Timberwolves to Ohio are in Canada & Wisconsin.
@@Para2normal Honestly, I am not sure. The biggest issues is all remaining red wolves are monitored at research facilities & when allowed to free roam in places, people keep mistaking them for coyotes & shooting them, as we're largely encouraged to do. Coyotes have also been known to crossbreed with other species of wolves, too & the offspring are often a bit problematic to deal with, but I'm not sure which species of wolf the "coywolves" were coming out of.
I'm currently researching the patterns of woodland regeneration in glen feshie and in particular along the braided river channel. It's incredible to see the changes now compared to what it looked like 15/20 years ago when deer culling was increased. It's unbelievable how quickly forests along rivers will flourish if they're given the chance. There's such a wide range of fluvial habitat diversity and sustainable supply of large woody debris, all with no human engineering. Having also worked in river restoration and riparian planting projects it's painful to see the amount of money, time, and resources put into planning river restoration and in particular protecting planting projects from deers when all you need to do is reduce deer numbers and all the benefits come naturally
The wolf population in the Netherlands has grown enormously and 55 cubs were born in the past year. So the 250 wolves will arrive quickly when reintroduced. And the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe.
But how to deal with their lack of fear and aggressiveness towards people and dogs? It's concerning me. Because I still don't know what to do when they're tailing or following when you're hiking or biking. They're not supposed to do so. They're not supposed to bite a child or hunt for dogs, yet they do in the Netherlands.
The wolves will reach the max. And then they will leave. The wolf ran over a child. At first it was said that someone had been bitten, but that later turned out not to be the case. The dog was a miniature poodle. And normally it won't happen. But here too there is conjecture. That people feed the wolves. People also do this to foxes. And in one province they shoot the foxes when they become tame and in the other they don't. That is not possible with wolves. And we have to get used to the rules of the game changing. And dogs should also be walked on a leash in woods. Because I'd rather have wolves in a forest than stray dogs. The kid is not been
@@callybongo7700 You should be careful. But only in certain areas. Until now only cattle, small dogs and one child were attacked (and yes, she was indeed bitten; het father was pissed off by the nay sayers and shared the pictures of her wounds in the press); one child was ran over and adults only annoyingly followed. A few Dutch wolves lack fear of people. Authorities don't know yet how to address this behaviour
You would have thought so, especially when you consider that Rick McIntyre who is considered the leader of Yellowstone's wolf-watching team, is proud of his old Scottish ancestry 🐺🐺
We have more wolves than the rest of the lower 48 (continental US for the brits) because we have more beavers. Wolves hunt solo during the summer and eat a lot of beavers. They're caught in a strange spot. "Market Hunting" moves very quickly. They don't want their people to have guns, but they could sell Hunting license Visas. Hunting licenses for Americans with no seasonal limitations, that could be an interesting way to boost tourism.
We are still at the mercy of the landed gentry in the UK. It runs deep into the framework of tradition, power and influence. I've always been bothered by the lack of trees in our country, it's like something was always missing. I'm from Cornwall and I find Bodmin Moor depressing, it's largely an unwelcoming impassable bog. It must have been breathtaking when it was covered in native woodland.
@@lordofthehunt5384 I love Wistman's wood - a 150 acre area around Sheepstor came up for sale but the new owner had to allow all the normal grazing to occur. It could have been a good rewilding project.
@charlottescott7150 honestly its ashame, Dartmoor National Park should buy up this land or inpose requirements for % of land to be rewilded. We can't rely on private ownership to do the right thing, as the ongoing legal case regarding camping shows.
Class-ism rears it's head again. It's fine when it's about those nasty gents though, right? That's all you peasants do, cry about what you haven't got.
In the USA, we have quite a few types of bears. One species that seems to coexist with humans fairly well is the black bears that are present, particularly on the east coast. I've been camping in the mountains of North Carolina and know someone who had their hammocks tied up in the forest near the campground. They woke up in the middle of the night to find a bear underneath their hammocks. They left the bear alone, and the bear left them alone. ( One key thing is, they had no food with them)
I’ve also run into a black bear, at night no less. Years ago was doing night land nav with ROTC at the time in the north woods. Was doing dead reckoning through trees with a partner, and we stopped about 5 ft in front of a black bear, it was on one side of a narrow trail and we were on the other. Saw it in the moonlight but it was otherwise cast in shadow. We backed away slowly and it left us alone. Black bears are family. Just be smart and respectful in the woods and you’ll be fine
right, but Europe only has one kind of bears (unless you count some very Northern islands like Svalbard, Island etc that have Polar Bears) - the brown bears, which are the same species as Grizzly bears, so they're the big bears, but they also coexist with humans mostly fine. There are some attacks, but it's not super common, especially considering how thousands of them live in quite close proximity to populated or touristy areas.
Another example other than Yellowstone is with the re-introduction of african wild dogs to Gorongosa national park in Mozambique. You could watch it in a documentary called "landscape of fear", which also involves lots of researchers from top universities who followed the re-introduction
I live in Canada, I've been camping where wolves are very common. They tend to avoid humans. We're too big, noisy and smelly. Sure they'll attack some livestock but they're such a cool animal. Hearing a pack howl at night when camping in the back-country is the most eerie and thrilling experience. I hope Scotland can get a couple packs.
Here in the Netherlands several wolves are not afraid of humans. They are here since a couple of years and already attacked children (one was bitten, another one run over) and attacked a couple of dogs. Some of them tail bikers and hikers. Does this happen in Canada?
@@e.k.4508 I'm sure it does, I'm not overly familiar with any attacks. Coyote (smaller and similar canine to a wolf) attacks on family pets are common since they have adapted to urban life. Canadian population is pretty limited to the southern boarder so there are vast swaths of land that have little to no human presence. If I'm hiking by myself I'm more worried about Cougars or finding myself between a Mother Bear and her cubs. The most scared I've been was while canoeing and rounding a bend in the river and coming face to face with a big moose. Judging from what little I know of the Netherlands, its pretty developed and not too many truly wild areas so I'm not surprised they've gotten brave.
They are even back in the Netherlands now. Far more densely populated than Alba. Sheep farmers are howling for rage, but in many countries they have coexisted with wolves for centuries.
Yeah well, sheep farmers always will, it affects their profit, doesn't change anything though, other industries also constantly argue and they don't necessarily get a free pass, farmers have the right to cry and ask for subsidies, and environmental agencies have the duty to give them ways to reduce predation damage while compensating them without allowing them to kill anything problematic, mainly because they will just search for something else to blame, if you work on sheep you will search for a way to get money by blaming everything on predation, that it happens doesn't mean we should take them completely seriously when they say eagles will cause the collapse of agriculture
@@joriswinter4052 that is a rare occurance and nothing but a scare factor narrative when you actually look at figures. wolves don't like people, they typically stay away from people and new research is also showing wolves don't predate on livestock anywhere near what people claim. most of what you see about wolves in america is 18 century thinking and for sports.
I will say they are not just a problem for the sheep, they have killed dogs, attacked children. Even horses have been killed and now need to be locked up in their stables again all day and night. Any use the wolves could have is 'keeping the numbers in check' of the wild animals, but they are simply decimating them, there is no balance. We have already nearly lost the mouflon, which will remove ten times the biodiversity the wolf might bring.
I went travelling around Europe and came across a wolf pack outside a tiny ghost village in Northern Spain. The only other person I saw was carrying a scythe and muttering something underneath his breath. He was much scarier than the wolves!
As l have commented in the past, there's a pack of 40 wolves living in Mt. Parnetha national park, just 20 klms from the center of Athens. They re-appeared back in 2011 and there have been only a few attacks on pet dogs, and I must note that Parnetha receives a few hundred visitors daily. Wolves seem to live perfectly although the whole of the mountain is around 400 klms2. They feed mostly on red deer and boar and less on Cretan wikd goat. If people in Scotland have second thoughts about wolves attacking livestock, then why don't they aquire shepherd dogs to guard their flocks? We did that with the reintroduction of the Greek shepherd. Sheperd dogs not only protect the sheep from the wolves but also the wolves from hunans, because if the wolves can't kill sheep then there's no actual reason of hunting them down.
Because that costs money, so it eats away at profit margins, which means a price increase on the product that in the end doesn't really matter but most farmers don't like changes and no longer remember how to protect livestock from wolves, most don't even check on sheep leaving them to roam freely only going every several weeks, unless the industry becomes less corrupt a successful reintroduction is unlikely
@@Solstice261 Maybe they have to change their mindset. The environment will keep on degrading without an apex predator and one day their sheep will starve. Raising temperatures will lead to a decrease of rain fall too. As for the cost of having shepherd dogs l have heard a Greek sheep herder claiming that in the span of ten years he lost only one lamb and two were injured due to his dogs. And his herd were grazing at Metsovo, Epirus were there is a rather large population of wolves and brown bears.
@@sarantissporidis391 well in the west coast of Scotland climate change is actually leading to more rain but point still stands since I've heard drowning severely reduces the growth rate of lambs
In Denmark, the first wolf in 200 years was seen in 2012. and today there are about 32-42 adult wolves. They came back themselves. Denmark is pretty small and most of Denmark is farmland so not much forest compared to sweden and norway. but Denmark also has a lot of deer. so i would definitely say that they would be just fine in scotland i am not an expert and most i wrote was about an article i read some while ago and a quick 5 min google search just now so some of it may not be 100% accurate i would love a video about it and hear if it could happen to other places like you talked about in this video and potentially use it as an example.
In the Netherlands we also have wolfs.(ja ik ben een Nederlander) Not all ppl are happy. The kill a lot off sheep and so on... Yes the can do good things but also a lot off bad things.
@@ajaxtelamonian5134 i have to fully agree with this, i have spent many times over the years in Europe, desperately keen to see or even hear a wolf. I have seen a few bears, but wolves instinctively know to keep away from humans. 25 years now i have been trying just to get a glimpse, hopefully one day. So the UK could easily support wolves, and do you know what, most people won't even know they are there. The worst thing for the wolves, is bad publicity by some member of the press trying to sell cheap headlines for a quick sale.
Beavers, they cut down trees, they eat their lunch, they go to the lavatory (with apologies to Python). Great to see the Spey beavers making an impact in less than a year. Another brilliant video, Rob.
I'm a part of a community in Scotland sandwiched in the middle of Sitka farming that is trying to purchase a 17 acre plot of land as an ecological oasis in a sea of industry. We've recently just had our first siting of Beavers who have just moved in to the area, as well as a population of various protected and unprotected species. We're doing a lot of citizen science to show what great ecology we have on our doorstep but finding funders to help with the purchase of the land is a long and arduous process and it's videos like yours that keep me excited and focused on the goal. Another great video!
As a Californian; I visited a resort/gated community last summer, where one of my aunts and uncles have a house, and it contains ecosystems similar to what is shown here in the Scottish Highland Hills that are called the chaparral, right by the coastal cliffs, and of course, our native temperate grasslands sprinkled with large oak trees that have become my favorite. The more I educated myself on ecology, and started studying a lesson package from the savory Institute; (for which I think it’s methods could benefit sheep farmers, even if it would require fenced paddocks for specifically timed and managed grazing), the other healthy, and possibly manageable balanced ecosystems that I saw in the video, reminded me a lot of the various ecosystems in California I described, with a measurable succession of chaparral coastal Hills and cliffs, grasslands, and of course, woodlands and forests. I saw them described and pictured on a poster at the resort lobby, when my family was hanging out over there were there was a pool and slide. Besides my ancestral homeland of Ireland that I have promised to visit in my next European trip after visiting Munich Germany; I will need to visit that resort near Monterey California again, let alone the similarities between the San Francisco Bay Area, where my parents live, and other regions of the same ecosystem in proximity to Los Angeles, and even San Diego, where I currently live, where I have been finding the same coast Live Oak tree with one in my neighborhood. The ultimate rewilding projects I hope to oversee and collaborate with farmers, is the expanding reintroduction of the native tule elk that resemble, yet are a little smaller than the Rocky mountain elk of Yellowstone. Tule elk are the native large, wild grazers of California’s grassland hills, and possibly the keystone herbivore across the described ecosystems from the chaparral cliff hills, where one of their reserves are that I visited, the grasslands and oak tree Savannah, wetlands with their namesake tule plant that is a type of Sedge-grass that they eat, and possibly the story of oak tree Woodlands and Forests, with the possibility of redwoods where they grow naturally. Central coastal California also has a population of feral pigs that are expanding as they are invasive in the north American context, yet I foresee Wolf conservation being potentially utilized to check them; and to prove that human hunters, and native predators can coexist in a timeless concert that the indigenous people knew. I soon learned about rewilding after initially, exploring the savory institute and studying my lesson package for which I will continue with. They are all tools to reinvigorate our native ecosystems, for the naturally necessary carbon sinks they will have to become against climate change. Regenerative agriculture, and rewilding, I hope to oversee peaceful, coexistence and management where some examples currently exist from what I know. At the end of the day, with my original comment, I foresee with the raw footage of this video in Scotland, understanding the ecology of chaparral hills, and grasslands with the sheep farmers, along with the native woodland forest. The example I saw in California, was an inspiring example for me, given my upbringing there.
I 100% support the reintroduction of wolves to the UK & Ireland. I am in my 50's now and in my own lifetime i have noticed the sudden drop in wildlife, but i think the last 20 years has seen a mindset change, younger people are the ones behind it and i have a strong hope that they will be the ones who begin to make the shift. With that i believe my children, grandchildren and one day their children will see a world far greater than the one i grew up in. I understand the old prejudices about wolves, but society changes. Just look at the changes in our own society, they have changed dramatically in my lifetime, so if believe if society can change, why can't our wildlife change for the better also in just as quickly. I understand the Lynx argument, but i truly believe young people are ripe for full change and don't need the baby steps my generation probably still need. The future is in wiser hands.
@S.Trades yes we do but what remains is less than 1% of what we used to have. That too with the right ecosystem engineers & keystone species could be restored but it’s doubtful as there’s no money to be made from land with trees on it.
Firstly, I love your work! Please keep doing it. As to the question of how to convince hunters and farmers in the UK to allow wolves back into the ecosystem, here are a few ideas to look at. 1) Human hunters take the biggest and best but wolves take the weak and feeble. Ecologists note that this improves the health of the overall population. 2) This improved health means less danger of uncontrollable outbreaks of diseases like mad cow, which if i remember correctly, was in part, spread from farm to farm through natural vectors like free roaming deer. 3) And back to the hunting lobby, if trophies are what they want, take another look at the US, which does allow hunting and trapping of wolves in certain states to prevent cycles of wolf overpopulation and collapse. I'm not a fan of trophy anything but I am a seeker of ecological balance. Wolves can be a huge help to humans in creating healthy, vibrant and resilient ecosystems.
I really really really hope you guys get wolves back someday. I'm a Canadian, from British Columbia which is chocked with different biotopes from temperate rainforests to legit deserts complete with scorpions to alpine mountains and when I hiked across Scotland in 2020 on the Scottish National Trail the barren lifelessness of the Highlands was beyond spooky. It was also weird as hell seeing so many expensive and labour intensive fencing projects happening in an effort to bring back forests for the red squirrel. These fences were to prevent the deer from getting in and eating the baby trees but it just felt so incredibly wasteful and foolish to me when wolves work 24/7 at deer control for pretty much free (after the costs involved with reintroducing them.) Wolves're also extremely intelligent, as shown by the fact that they possess *generational knowledge* which means that the elders pass on knowledge to the young, just like people. (They also mourn their dead, get super excited about their puppies, howl to locate each other, howl because it's fun, and romp around their densites playing together because they are, after all, just wild puppers.) And what kind of knowledge? It's generally strategies for hunting *specific species of prey* - which means that wolves generally hunt the same prey that their ancestors hunted and rarely deviate. It's actually pretty uncommon for a wolf to deviate from this but it does happen - in the book Homeward Wolf by Kevin Van Tighem a black male is mentioned as being recorded (GPS collar) as figuring out how to hunt mountain goats. They kept getting pings from this wolf's collar showing him in bizarre, very un-wolf-like places like crossing glaciers so they went out on foot to figure out what he was doing. Turns out, pupper was hunting mountain goats which live in incredibly dangerous terrain - and not only that, this wolf ended up teaching his pups to hunt them to! But, this black male was kind of a maverick - with most wolves if their parents ate elk then that's what they prefer to hunt to, and that's what they teach their own pups to hunt. In the book Wild Horses, Wild Wolves by Maureen Enns it's actually documented that wolves and wild horses in the Alberta foothills actually live relatively peacefully together. The wolves have plenty of elk to hunt so they don't bother the horses and the horses remain pretty calm even when the wolves are within plain sight. The horses aren't the wolf population's prey and they seem to know it. And yeah, wolves are statistically pretty much harmless to people - in an entire century in North America there wasn't a single human attacked by a healthy wild wolf. They - and other native predators as well - also have a negligent effect upon livestock who are statistically far more likely to be killed by inclement weather (aka heatstroke or freezing to death,) or by dystocia (difficult birth) which are both problems which could be mitigated through the simple use of range riders (cowboys.) In addition, most livestock who are killed by predators are far more likely to be killed by a domestic dog out on the lam* than by any native wild predator. So while I suspect a few sheep might be killed for the most part the wolves would be pretty laser focused on the deer. Red deer are, after all, just elk! *A big problem in Scotland, I saw countless signs reminding hikers that if their dog got loose in a sheep field it's completely legal for the farmer to shoot said dog on sight. Also a sidenote I like to use: because wolves protect riparian habitats by keeping deer moving, their presence improved habitat for the fish which anglers love to catch! They're literally a fisherman's friend because more healthy fish habitat = more healthy fish for anglers to fawn over. 😂
Absolutely agree to reintroducing our lost wildlife. UK have lost far too many species. Too many people need to learn more and respect our environment and wildlife. Too many prefer plastic grass, paved over gardens and brick walls instead of hedges.
I am a teenager born and raised in the U.S, but it has been my dream for years to return wolves to the world, now my more reasonable personal goal is to simply start a sanctuary for wolves. But I still hope to see wolves return to Britain. I hope we are both successful in our journeys! For the better!
I'm completely with you and your enthusiasm for reintroduction of wolves and surely lynx, the latter possibly even less lilely to trouble humans. But the elephant in the room is our political legacy, surely? Most of the land in Scotland is still privately owned, and although some estates are focussing on rewilding, far too many are owned by wealthy peoole who want to promote their elitist and expensive pursuits like deer stalking and grouse shooting. The latter is the battleground for raptors like the golden eagle and especially hen harrier. In my neck of the woods on the Cornwall/ Devon border, the woodlands in particular are completely overrun by verminous pheasants, that are only here again for the sake of wealthy shooters, but which catastrophically damage the invertebrate ecosystems. My probably controversial remedy is firstly get rid of the monarchy, and enure their estates are given back to the British people where they belong. Then abolish the Lords and hereditary peerages at the same time, which will help again in reclaiming the land they wrongly occupy. I don't think we will see reintroduction of any larger predators until this happens, as the landed gentry still keep us off most of our countryside and dictate what happens on it.
LOVE this. Since moving to Scotland I have realised the impact deer and sheep have on the landscape and not just because of their numbers but because they are not acting like the prey species they are as nothing is there to scare them in to constant moving across the land! It would be amazing if wolves came back!
Which 'Cairngorms Forest' or which forest in the Cairngorms is dying? There has been a very good recovery in Rothiemurcus, Glenmore, Glenfeshie and around Mar in the last 20 years, just by more intense deer management to reduce grazing & browsing pressure. Natural treelines are much higher than they used to be. All without re-introducing wolves or lynx.
In California, wolves just appeared in the last few years, and individuals WALKED those thousand miles from Yellowstone. Just to have a sense that wolf introduction would be to the whole GB, not just Scotland. Love your channel!
California is over 4 times the size of scotland n nearly twice the size of britain n britain has a population of about 70 million people, thats why wolves will need to remain extinct in britain, itd be cruel for the wolves, theyd try to spread to other areas n would run straight into humans, how many other states are in reach of california? Thats plenty of space that they could never have in britain, alot of brits think a huge space is a couple of football pitches worth of field, they dont realise how much space those things really need, imo
Finally, a British person admits Britain is treeless and barren. Since I moved from my native country Hungary, I have been saying this. And Hungary is not even heavily forested (well, it's deforested like many European countries) with a forest cover of about 25%. But the UK is far worse and what some call beautiful (the desert-like hills you showed) I always found outright ugly - not because mother nature is ugly but because it is so unnatural. Deserts are beautiful. But the UK should not be a desert. It was messed up by shortsighted (stupid) people. It's a wonderful country with amazing landscape by nature - effed up by humans. Reintroducing wolves would be awesome! Finally, a touch of nature in a country so brutally destroyed by human activities, an ever-growing population, spreading urban areas, and the so-called civilisation. On the other hand, I can easily imagine the vast remote landscapes of Scotland, home of wolves!
Nah. If they ever existed, the last died in may of 2011. Something wiped them out and I'm not sure what. They seemed to hide in plain sight by creating and then inhabiting the Therian subculture, but in their absence that subculture has degraded to become just a subgroup of the furries.
Everything you talked about is spot on. I learned this at Writtle college years ago. You have put it succinctly in 20 minutes which I studied for four years. It is so nice to hear it from someone who understands conservation and is experienced. I am there with you in spirit, and love rewilding projects. You should speak to wildlife expert and conservationist Chris Packham. You are on the same page. Wow introduction will happen. Beavers have been introduced and the results are remarkable. I think there have been issues globally with apex predators being persecuted, and thus follows the demise of an ecosystem, and lower trophic levels of wildlife have increased or become extinct. Key species are the key to rewilding. Love your enthusiasm 😊
Here in Sweden the government work very hard to get rid of our wolves. (All wildlife it seems) Only the other day they decided that the favourable conservation statues for the wolf must be almost halved from 300 individuals to 170. It is so sad. They allow hunting of Brown Bear, wolf, lynx, wolverine, badger, moose and all wildlife to extinction here. Old superstitions and fears seems to go very deep in the souls of our politicians. (Or is it just greed as several of them have interests in hunt tourism?) Some people fight as best they can for wolves and all wildlife (Svenska Rovdjursföreningen/Swedish Carnivore Association for example)
I've often worried about the health of Britain's wildlife in the absence of predators. This is such excellent news! I'm so excited for all of you! Being from Michigan (US), I've seen my share of wolves and they are beautiful creatures. Our wolves are beautiful, shy creatures which I've never seen act aggressively unless on the defense. As far as trees go, Michigan has such an abundance of trees that historically we needed to mow down saplings just to create space for walking paths from one neighbor to another. Michigan's climate and geology is very similar to that of Scotland. You should have a healthy fear of wolves of course, as with all wild predatory animals, but of all the predators in N. America, wolves are truly the least of one's worries. I'd be warier of some bears, wild cats, MOOSE (terrified to run into one of those) and late winter starving coyote packs than I ever would a family of wolves. Which is what a pack actually is: blood-related, immediate family. The entire alpha theory is almost completely false. Hope you enjoy all the pretty photos you're going to have!
We also have sheep in Germany, but they are not allowed to roam and graze where they want. There is always a shepherd with them bringing them to defined areas. We have a lot of deer though. But we have many forests and fence out the deer in new plantations.
I really appreciate your pragmatic approach to rewilding whilst still sticking to your principles. As much as I’d love to snap my fingers and magically have everything reintroduced the sad reality is that our nation is in the death grip of several institutions and we have to work with them to get the ball rolling. Keep up the great work.
Whenever I think of rewilding with Wolves all I can picture in my head is the video of Wolves changing Rivers in Yellowstone Park. One of the most beautiful and breathtaking videos I've ever seen. BBTW! Bring Back The Wolves! GG Wrote this before I got through your video. :-)
Remember being in Yellowstone national park and aeeing one with my Brother going into a shop to the north of the park telling them we saw one and the cashier guy told us that was a VERY special thing and a huge deal as theres people in the town that had lived there 40years and not seen one.
In the netherlands we got the wolf back, and it's a succes. yes there's been attacks. but they all came to one common source. people walking their dogs unleashed in known wolf habitats where the wolfs just had pups. and the attacks on farm animals could be easily prevented, but most farmers are to lazy to do so. there's this thing called "stables" where your live stock can sleep at night safely.
Superb video, give thanks for your inspiration, hearing your clarity of purpose coupled with passion gives me strength. It has just underlined, and helped direct a decades long personal quest of temperate rainforest restoration. I work in Wales, which is a pocket handkerchief version of the Scottish landscape that you describe, but the themes ring true like the singing stones of Maenclochog.
Hi, I was a bit surprised to see all the little plastic bottles, which would quickly tot up having them every day. I enjoyed your video though and deeply agree that we need wolves back. Best wishes
Btw Portuguese gov promised to maintain a level of protection on Iberian wolf after Brussel's vote ) Also peeps usually fear what they don't understand and for the last couple of decades we are more than disconnected from understanding and dealing with mother nature. Thanx for the vid, gives me hope for the Scottish highlands
Personally I don't think we'll ever get the wolf back in Britain without the reintroduction of the Lynx (which you mention at the end). The Lynx is a smaller predator which still prefers deer as its main prey and which still avoids humans. It's also likely to trigger many of the same effects as the wolf just on a smaller scale. To me it seems a far easier hurdle to bring the Lynx back first and then once we have seen the positive impact from the Lynx use that as evidence to bring back a small population of wolves. Also on the note of hunting deer for venison (plus using the other bits, skin for leather or furs, bones for broth or glue, so on and so forth. It's more disrespectful to not use as much of the animal as you can), I think increasing the supply of venison in British markets is a great idea. Cows are one of the most carbon intensive animals to farm for food, and due to our massive over abuncance of deer, we can use venison as an effective substitute for beef. Doing so wouldn't lower the amount of carbon produced by UK food sources by as much as just cutting all beef would, but it'd still be a noticeable cut. Plus personally I think venison tastes nice and I don't really like beef apart from burgers.
I lived in Salmon,ID at the time of the reintroduction of the wolves. I was lucky enough to see them since they were being held at BLM(my dad worked there). The sad thing is all the misinformation about wolves in our rural areas. I really hope that changes 🥰❣️❣️❣️
In norway the government still allows hunting of large predators despite them already having very low populations. Their justification is to avoid predators hunting livestock. But in the summer sheep literally roam on the mountains with no fence or supervision so no wonder they are eaten
I disagree with the comments around sheep farming. The fashion industry is a massive problem for the environment because of non renewable fibres and fast fashion. Education and investment in renewable fibres like wool will help. Surely there is a way that sheep can live in a rewilded landscape.
Good and important video. I'd love to see all the fauna (and flora) which we eliminated over the last 2000 years in the UK being restored but I definitely don't want to see what the WEF has planned with 'human settlement zones' (15 minute cities) and 'rewilding' of pre-Ice Age mega-fauna. If we just stop the industrial farming (which is destroying the soil and landscape) and get back to smaller, more diverse farms (not owned by billionaires who want to kill us) using traditional crop rotation to restore the soils and provide food which doesn't rely on anti-biotics and artificial fertilizers then all will be good. The points you make here are very valid and I can't really argue with them. However ..... I'd definitely say that I'd like to see a gradual introduction of apex predators which will create a properly sustainable food web starting with the Lynx, Puma (already living here but largely unacknowledged) then Wolves. Wolves should be the last of the predators to be introduced since they are pack hunters and other than large bears they are the apex of the apex predators. I'm not sure that anyone in the UK wants bears and I would have to upgrade my gun collection if there were bears living here as I live in the countryside where these predators would be (re)introduced, lol
It's the sort of conversation that we should be engaging in with our young people in schools. Luckily, that's exactly what I'm doing. When you understand the science, the rest makes sense.
We have exactly the same issue with deer in Ireland. We have not one but THREE invasive species (sika fallow and roe), brought in by large landowners for hunting. They are not only eating every sapling in sight and stopping regeneration, but interbreeding with our native red deer. There is an annual cull that the public always give out about because... I dont know... theyre majestic and cute. And Bambi. Theyre only here about 150 years but are destroying the land and costing people loads of money, are fully invasive yet people want to keep them. Theres debates on the news every few months. Its a tricky one.
As a Canadian where we have wolves in every province and territory save one (PEI), I'm completely baffled by the trepidation and cowardice exhibited in Britain for the re-introduction of apex predators. I mean, you can't even get the little lynx thing sorted out in spite of endless studies and research that proves, without exception, that a "wild" environment without large predators is not a natural environment. I mean hell, we even tolerate coyotes in our large cities here and apart from the loss of the odd house pet, we co-exist without conflict. Stop dragging your asses Britain. Allowing wolves to be introduced to your less populated regions will have a phenomenal cascade effect within as little as ten years. Be brave.....like the wolf.
It's true there's a slight loss when farming in the UK, but the farming media I've seen shows a lot of people very hostile to the concept that they should give up their way of life, even if they do agree that more should be done to protect the environment. Such as there have been farmers in the outer Isles and such who are currently hostile to the sea eagles, as they kill lambs. Even if people might make more money if their sheep were all bought up and they moved onto a different lifestyle, I think a better option would be to turn people onto subsidies which rely on them working with ecologists on decreasing or moving grazing more into lowlands and increasing the amount of trees, such as with things such as biodiversity net gain (the planning policy). They generally think of things as such as "We're the people making the food which you all rely on, and it's thankless work.". It does make sense to have wolves but even if most sheep are left alone, farmers who feel like they won't have compensation if their sheep are lost are going to be very resistant to any introduction. Similarly with the grouse, the problem is that it's set up somewhat mafia like, the common folk who prepare the land for the richer folk are more interested in the money than they are on anything else, might not be any other jobs around their areas, never mind good paid jobs. The economic outlook on this front is easy to solve if there's a way to get them money, but the hardest bit on this front other than finding the best way to make sure these people don't feel like they need the money to do the worst thing, is to convince them that ecologists aren't just city people coming over and trrying to stop them working their ancestral farms.
Just promise to pay farmers compensation for the loss of each sheep like they doing Europe. I believe around €60 per animal in Germany. They only pay-out for a few hundred animals a year, so say €20k per year for the whole country.
@@RussTillling Italy Has a breed of anti wolf dog and they work well at scaring wolves away from sheep. The farmers just need to put in a bit of effort and stop the sheep roaming completely freely and they'll have almost 0 attacks.
Here in the Netherlands there's a big battle between the agri-lobby/big-ag and rewilding. Reintroducing big herbivores in our tiny wildlife parks like deer, elk, wild horses (like Przewalskis and Konik), heck-bovines, wild boar and even the Wisent (European bison) was quite easy. Problem is, that all these herbivores overgraze the already quite degraded lands. We also have had a very slowly recovering water-quality. Which has brought back salmon, sturgeon and the trout. Which in turn has brought back the otter and polecat and better rewilding of forests has brought back the beaver, martin species (mainly stone martins) and things like squirrels owls and other birds of prey. Our meadows are home to rabbits, hares, feasants/grouse and weasels. Some animal rights people have for years resisted shooting deer, elk and other big herbivores and these animals have degraded the land so much that they have grazed some places bare. With only the big trees standing until they die. There aren't even mushrooms because rodents, deer and wild boar have eaten hem. It has gotten so bad, people had to feed the herbivores with hay even in mild winters to have them survive until spring. All the air pollution by roads/highways, industry and agriculture have degraded our soil and acidifficated it with nitrates and sulfides so our soil has became to acidic for many trees which is leading to mass die-offs, a terrible degredation of our insect population and plant diseases. Thanks to our large scale agriculture we have an excess of 4 trillion kgs of manure (mainly; cow, pig and chicken) from agriculture. The wolf has reintroduced itself by migrating from Germany where it is quite populous. The European lynx might also reintroduce itself here and in the far f7ture maybe the brown bear in certain parts (probably the southeast because it's one of the few places it has some sort of hillsides to dig into or limestone caves for the winter time. The backlash that was talked about in the clip originated here, unfortunately. It has totally spoiled the debate and the agri- and trophy hunting-lobby have teamed up and found a willing ear in the far right who have turned it into a culture war issue. I hope someday soon we can and will resolve this nonsense and really start truly rewilding. We need to do it for ourselves and the planet if not, the future looks very dark and grim.
One of my favourite books as a young adult was a book about wolves, that stated that there had never been an incident recorded in history of a healthy wolf attacking an adult human. I think you make a good point in this video that it’s more about £££ from farming and hunting.
Don't forget that 'Elk" are different animals in Europe and the US. In the US they are Elk (Cervus canadensis) (think big Red Deer) where in Europe "Elk" is the name used for what in the US is called a moose (Alces americanus). During the video you said "Elk" referring to a UK native "Elk" and you showed a picture of C.canadensis not A.americanus. Maybe a minor point but it is the kind of thing that drives me mad. Just like having kookaburra calls in a jungle scene set anywhere outside Queensland did when I was a young lad. And yes it would be wonderful to re-introduce wolves and lynx to Scotland. Having been to Yellowstone it is amazing to look out and see real wild wolves just doing their thing.
@@nicholasgoodfellow5774 “sigh”. If you don’t believe me search for “Moose” in Wikipedia Although I did make one mistake. The Latin name for Moose (N. America) or Elk (Eurasia) is Alces alces Alces alces americana is the Eastern Moose subspecies
@@nicholasgoodfellow5774no… what Americans call moose we have regional names for. So individuals in the American population are called “moose” and individuals in the Eurasian population are called “elk”. Americans call a different species an “elk” and ALL three are deer species… “simple as that”.
Not all the Scottish Highlands looks like that. There are also many beautiful areas with large areas of natural and semi-natural forests, less than 30km from where he was filming.
Here in the U.S., many rural communities have programs where trophy hunters who take a deer or elk can bring it to volunteer butchers, leave the non-trophy parts there, and the butchers will turn it into recognizable cuts of meat for the local food pantry. You Brits could try something similar?
I live in Southern California and spend a lot of time out in the wilderness. Our apex predators are black bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. While bears and mountain lions certainly have the potential to be dangerous, actual incidents involving humans are incredibly rare and usually involve a mother defending her cubs. Western coyotes are smaller than those found in the eastern states, and even in packs, they’re generally afraid of adult humans-though they can go after children and small pets. Overall, people here accept our wild neighbors and live peacefully alongside them. Yes, we have more open wilderness, but lions and bears still roam close to urban areas and sometimes even venture in, reminding us that nature isn’t just “out there”-it’s part of our lives. In England, there seems to be more wariness of the wild, likely because centuries of separation have dulled that connection. I truly appreciate this challenge to rekindle it, to embrace the mystery and wonder of living with apex species. By welcoming nature back into our spaces, we have the chance to restore balance and coexist with the planet in a way that’s both thrilling and harmonious. Living with the wild isn’t just about survival; it’s about rediscovering our place in a larger, shared world.
Have we ever considered dumping seed mixes into head waters to quickly (but sloppily) establish any sort of riparian cover down the entire length of the river?
@LeaveCurious im just thinking to try to get any trees into those devoid landscapes, if only 1-2 trees "land" per valley that's still a huge step forward for natural regeneration
It seems like one of the big problems with this environment is getting it started - all sorts of animals nibble on the shoots so nothing grows up. It seems like strong fences are needed to allow the plants and bushes to establish themselves first.
@@jd3d_cgi It isn't just deer. Rabbits, hares, rats, mice and other rodents have a huge affect on vegetation growth. In the United Kingdom, so many predators are extirpated that trees have little chance of recovery. Here in New Mexico, it was found that native mice, rats and other rodents played a far bigger part in diminishing grasslands than bigger herbivores like deer, pronghorn and bison. We still have lots of predators like coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and restored lobos.
It might help the re-wolfing effort to come over to Alaska and observe how we accept living with "big game" animals, including wolves and yes bears in our back yards, figuratively or literally. FH from Anchorage
the biggest problem that is faced are those individuals that cite the 'right to roam'. all we would have to do would be to adjust our personal safety in the wildness but its one of the biggest barriers being faced by those of us that wish to see Wolves and Lynx back in the country. Its one of the few things i'm really passionate about and the Hope is once my is Enviro-Science Integrated Masters is completed i can work up to this being something I can focus on. Its been a long slog getting what we have in beaver populations back and controlling the Wild Cat mating population to maintain integrity. even if it isn't me I do hope to some day see wolves back on British soil.
As a person that lives in Bear, Mountain Lion, and Wolf country, you never see them unless you go REALLY far in and you start at dawn, making no noise and enter trails they have been sighted recently. Most large predators just want to be left alone and the incidents you hear about are usually due to a human being stupid, like trying to pet a baby bear.
'can i pet that dawg?' 🤣 I agree, i have family in canada and never hear of incidents with predators. I've only heard on story of a bear incident and it was more a case of the horse spooking that caused injury to the rider over the bear being aggressive. most predators are seen in folks back yards because they are losing habitat, building on trail routes of these animals and people garbage. its rarely because of a predators wish to harm humans (mountain lions might be exception there, some in California seem to like hikers way more than what they should).
I love your enthusiasm; what a great idea. I hope you succeed. I am not a medical practitioner, but from what I have read, you should research not taking vitamin D regularly without K2.
Such an insightful, informative, eye opening yet hopeful video. I couldn’t help but hunk about the land in Australia and how deer, brumby, even kangaroos in some cases are causing the things mentioned such as saplings and native plants not being able to grow. The thing with Australia, besides the dingo more outback rural locations, there are no apex predators to naturally hunt them, and there was never been. Therefore the only way to get rid of them is by culling, really interesting and I wonder what you, or anyone thinks about that. Let me know😊
How about introducing Coyotes instead. Although not native to the UK, they are smaller than wolves and breed more rapidly. There's a helluva lot of them in the US too!
Changes in rain fall levels, the water table and flow rate was the reason for reduction in willow growth, research found that willow with reduced water supply even in fenced control areas, didn't grow back as fast as browsed willow
Tho I knew most the key points, it's good to hear it all again. I'm really glad this idea is catching on, when I first heard it I just instantly thought it great. Another advantge is that trees are the best way to prevent flooding, which I'm conviced is going to become more of a problem. Talking of future problems, maybe the wolves we intro should be from colder places too, because if the AMOC does slow down it will get very cold in Britain.
This video has made me really appreciate the resurgence of the deciduous forests of the Appalachian mountain region of the United States. We don't have a lot of wolves yet, but there sure are a lot of coyotes!
To get the best regeneration of the river valleys the reduction in grazing may have to be supplemented by forestry, either planting saplings or distributing seed possibly by air. Trees can't regenerate unless the seed is there to germinate, and I doubt any seed is viable after so long.
Thank you for this great video. I think it is very important to note that there are so many countries with possibly dangerous predators. Take Australia for example with kangaroos, spiders, etc. people can learn to be safe and responsible around these animals. The same goes for farming practices (although I’m sure some issues are still caused). I think a lot of hesitation in reintroducing wolves and other predators is fear of the unknown, as the UK has lived so long without them.
With regenerative practices, sheep and cattle farming has less predation from wolves as the land gets time to rest and the animals aren't hanging out in their normal spot night after night causing scent and ranging far apart. The animals stay in a tighter herd, and they move daily or every other day. The wolves of Yellowstone really brought back so much variety. Wolves moved the elk/deer they didn't eat and a pack of 8-12 wolves ate approximately 16 deer/elk per year and picked the sick or injured or old animals first.
The only comment I'd make (beyond great video as always Rob) is that apex predators need prey. It seems the best land engineers are beavers, so I'd put their reintorduction ahead of wolves (or even lynx) and work gradually up towards the treeline.
There is prey in Scotland, there is tons of deer so that isn't the problem, it's been actually studied and we even know the population the territory could sustain and it's in the hundreds even when limited to the Highlands
@@TheHoveHeretic if you mean tree cover, quite funnily wolves do pretty well even in areas without forests, they obviously prefer forested areas for their hunting grounds since it helps them remain hidden and such but they are a very adaptable animal, when europe tore its forest up a lot of wolves still managed to live in pastures and such and had to actively be pushed out by people, still you do have a point with starting with smaller animals like beavers and the lynx before moving to something as controversial as the wolf but only the wolf can do what is needed to increase forest cover on a large scale in Scotland and before that happens projects will have to be very much planned and maintained with very little natural regeneration due to deer overpopulation. Beavers are great engineers but they work in a completely different environment and fill a radically different niche, one cannot cover for the other
Wolves are present in Flanders, Belgium, one of the most densely populated parts of Europe. Wolves have been here for 5 years, and not once has there been a human-wolf incident. And it’s very clear that protection with fences is very effective in protecting livestock too. Unleashed dogs cause way more harm here to both people and livestock than any wolves.
Quite a passionate plea for wolves. We got them back now in The Netherlands and they are causing all kinds of problems for farmers and people walking with their dogs (a few dogs have been taken). But the impact on farmers with sheep is bigger. The government does give money for electric fences and pays for dead sheep. But still de farmers are complaining together with many others. Im not sure about farming in those areas of Scotland. So i cant judge.
Please be careful with any drinks or suppliments that contain Ashwagandha, it can be great, but it also can affect how anti-depressants work (talking about all types, SSRI's, Tricyclics, you name it, it will affect it)
Lived in Canada and Sweden, both in places where there were Wolves, no problem you hear them and ocassionally see them in the distance, they do their thing , and people do theirs.
I absolutely agree. I always wanted wolves and other lost animals to return to Britain, especially Scotland, but people's attitudes - mainly the ones you mentioned - are always putting a block on it. Government needs to give them an incentive to change, and punitive measures if they don't. We need nature back in all it's full glory and potential.
I'm all for allowing nature to regain some footholds, and would love to see some more woods across the UK. I have been following the return of the wolf in germany (and used to have heated discussions about it with my father, a hobby hunter who was dead against it). There are problems with livestock, and I can see the side of the farmers who will need to invest in keeping their livestock safe. As such, politicians need to agree to bringing wolves back, and to support / re-imburse farmers. Fences don't cut it in many cases, so there are attempts with special herd guard dogs, and even donkeys to protect sheep, which tends to be expensive too. I'd expect that to be the main battle before returning wolves to the uk would become even remotely possible.
Before the Lynx, we should focus on the Scottish Wild Cat. Still holding on in the UK, critically endangered, cute AF, not scary at all. It's the perfect posterchild for the start of the reintroduction of predators. Wild Cat > Lynx > Wolf > Bear > Death Star.
I used to stalk deer on forestry land. The land owners started demanding qualifications to do what we had been doing for decades. OK so I go do a DSC level one course. Pretty soon that was not good enough and they continue to demand higher and higher and more expensive qualifications. So I had to give up. In a year I used to take fifteen or so roe deer off the land. And so did the rest of my syndicate.
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I really like your content, but doing ads for bullshit crosses a line where I stop watching.
@@C3POXTC Get a grip loooooooooooool
Sellout
@@C3POXTC He also needs money to make these videos.🤷♂ He's not gonna get it by sitting and hope that a lot of people will watch him.🤦♂
It's in the name *magic* sorcery and witchcraft. Stay clear of pharmakia, hope he doesn't experience sudden death from his portions.
I’m an educator in Canada for preschool children, and for every book my colleagues read about big bad wolves, I read books that talk about the importance of wolves in our ecosystem; how they’re not bad, they’re pack, or family oriented animals, that though they may sound scary when they howl, they’re simply looking for their friends.
I support changing the conversation around apex predators, and bringing them back into spaces they once roamed!
Have you seen the wildlife cam channel from Yukon here on YT? My Canadian missus also teaches younger kids and they love watching ten minutes of the edited footage. Always fun to observe species that aren't found in other countries.
Let guess that you live in a city? ua-cam.com/video/nIkqhWRKS5U/v-deo.htmlsi=Q4VVDxyVni9QfVMv&t=212
I just love the idea of you somehow trying to communicate this to the ancient peoples that wiped them out 😆 ‘trust me they’re just calling their friends they’re family orientated, really.’ 😂
and as a western Norwegian i can tell you that the day a wolf is spotted west of the Norwegian mountains, is the day me and at least 40 others in my immediate community walk into the mountains with our rifles to do some "bird hunting".
our forefathers killed them for a reason.
and it wasn't for their family oriented looking for friends.
it was for killing our dogs, slaughtering 15 sheep for fun when one would've fed them, and being a threath to our children when they play outside.
👍
Once my envi-sci degree is done with, I would absolutely LOVE to dedicate my work to bringing wolves back to the UK. It was the story of the reintroduction in Yellowstone that got me passionate about ecology. I'd love to help do the same here.
You could certainly make it your lifes work, thats for sure, go for it!
Idea, have dog walking paths along riverside so the domesticated canid can drive off the deer like it's wild cousin should.
You're morally bankrupt. Wolves kill you know mate 😂.
Good person
@@razorgodzz7898 So do people, and Wolves don’t build bombs. 😒
your passion is so inspiring. I'm a 21 year old and it's so difficult to not be heartbroken at how our species treats the world. to be able to provide a community of hope and action like you do is the most valuable and nurturing thing at the moment. thank you.
indeed. The people around me appear to not care about the environement at all. 99% of species that ever have lived on the planet are extinct, so who cares about current mass extinction blablabla. careless, reckless s*it
In Denmark, this over cultivated country we has reintroduced both wolves and beavers with good results.
And it is awesome. Now if we could somehow lose some of the big farms in mid jutland and have that regrow with forrests, meadows such... paradise
Awesome to hear. Hope they’re released back into Britain so we can see them here again very soon.
Where would you possibly put wolves in denmark? Is there even a single continuous stretch of land more than a few hundred meters that is still wild?
@@edguy6738 There are some fairly large nature parks in Jutland. Our wolves and beavers live there.
You NEVER reintroduced wolves tho.
Wolves were never reintroduced wolves ANYWHERE in europe.
The only it happened was in USA, and only for a few very rare cases
Wolves are a hugely beneficial and unfairly maligned species! I hope they're reintroduced in many, many places!! Thank you for your tireless dedication, boundless enthusiasm and always interesting videos!!
and thank you for your continued support! 💚
@@LeaveCurious BTW, the beard really suits you! Please give my best to your lovely wife & children!
The Farmers etc will go Nuts, I imagine...
@@mikeoglen6848 As they always do. Just as the fishermen go nuts when dolphins are allowed to live.
I would LOVE to see this magnificent ecosystem engineer return to the wilds of Britain again
There are no "wilds of Britain." Even the Highlands are artificially maintained & it's not uninhabited, there are people who live there.
I love you for bringing the biological deserts to attention. Most people think they are beautiful but to me they are barren and depressing.
They're so creepy! I hiked the Scottish National Trail in 2020 and coming from Canada the barrenness of the Highlands was spooky as heck.
Agreed! The Scots asked me, when hiking in several areas, if I liked the Scottish landscape. I do. But only the few parts with trees and woods. Most of Scotland is so barren 😢
@@e.k.4508 I hope Mossy Earth does more projects trying to recreate historic Scottish temperate rainforest.
It's too late, WWiii is soon to be upon us, see Archbishop Vigano new video of Archbushops letter to Trump. Go watch and share !
There are far too many deer in Scotland. They destroy the land. But so do the sheep. Fencing off land has shown that regeneration is possible.
Agree. But fencing cost individuals so much money they shouldnt have to spend!
@@TheRewildlife Mobile, solar-powered, electric web fencing is commonly used in America where I live. It's affordable, effective, and very easy to use for rotational grazing of sheep, goats, cattle, poultry, and even ponies. Perhaps that could help both the farmers and the environment!
I'm 58 yrs old and live on the edge of The Trough of Bowland, land preserved purely to fulfil the bloodlust of the upper classes. I hope by the end of my life we will see wolves once again roaming free in Britain.
To put it mildly- Ohio was similarly ecologically devastated by settlers. Over the course of my 30 years, we've gotten back all out predatory birds, black bears, fishers (a large, black weasel the size of a small dog) & bobcats, but also an invasive population of coyote moving in. Despite loving the woods & roaming around the wild places near me a lot, I've yet to see anything in person beyond the coyote & I've only seen one once, just this spring. I haven't even seen an otter yet, & we have recent video from the 5 or so years of them in the river next to me. None of them are being particularly problematic to anyone.
@@MrChristianDT As I understand it Coyote seem to be a particular problem in NA, I really don't know what causes it as it's not a field I'm an expert (just a passionate advocate of rewilding) in.
@@Para2normal They had a closely related relative in the eastern Woodlands called Red Wolf, which is nearly extinct. They mostly just go after smaller game, like rabbits & gophers, though, so they aren't helping with the deer. Nearest Timberwolves to Ohio are in Canada & Wisconsin.
@@MrChristianDT Do you think the introduction of Wolves would peg back their populations?
@@Para2normal Honestly, I am not sure. The biggest issues is all remaining red wolves are monitored at research facilities & when allowed to free roam in places, people keep mistaking them for coyotes & shooting them, as we're largely encouraged to do. Coyotes have also been known to crossbreed with other species of wolves, too & the offspring are often a bit problematic to deal with, but I'm not sure which species of wolf the "coywolves" were coming out of.
I'm currently researching the patterns of woodland regeneration in glen feshie and in particular along the braided river channel. It's incredible to see the changes now compared to what it looked like 15/20 years ago when deer culling was increased. It's unbelievable how quickly forests along rivers will flourish if they're given the chance. There's such a wide range of fluvial habitat diversity and sustainable supply of large woody debris, all with no human engineering. Having also worked in river restoration and riparian planting projects it's painful to see the amount of money, time, and resources put into planning river restoration and in particular protecting planting projects from deers when all you need to do is reduce deer numbers and all the benefits come naturally
It's breathtaking it's a magical Glen filled with the mist amazing biodiversity
The wolf population in the Netherlands has grown enormously and 55 cubs were born in the past year. So the 250 wolves will arrive quickly when reintroduced. And the Netherlands is the most densely populated country in Europe.
But how to deal with their lack of fear and aggressiveness towards people and dogs? It's concerning me. Because I still don't know what to do when they're tailing or following when you're hiking or biking. They're not supposed to do so. They're not supposed to bite a child or hunt for dogs, yet they do in the Netherlands.
The wolves will reach the max. And then they will leave. The wolf ran over a child. At first it was said that someone had been bitten, but that later turned out not to be the case. The dog was a miniature poodle. And normally it won't happen. But here too there is conjecture. That people feed the wolves. People also do this to foxes. And in one province they shoot the foxes when they become tame and in the other they don't. That is not possible with wolves. And we have to get used to the rules of the game changing. And dogs should also be walked on a leash in woods. Because I'd rather have wolves in a forest than stray dogs. The kid is not been
wow, i was thinking of moving to NL, im an fisherman and i go at night. now maybe having to be more careful at night.
@@callybongo7700 You should be careful. But only in certain areas. Until now only cattle, small dogs and one child were attacked (and yes, she was indeed bitten; het father was pissed off by the nay sayers and shared the pictures of her wounds in the press); one child was ran over and adults only annoyingly followed.
A few Dutch wolves lack fear of people. Authorities don't know yet how to address this behaviour
I live in Minnesota, USA. We have wolves. We are fine. Seriously, I thought the Scottish were a bit tougher than this. :)
It's not necessarily the Scots; it's the people who chased a lot of the Scots out of the Highlands in the first place.
@@PedroConejo1939good point, many of the wealthy landowners are English or from even further afield
You would have thought so, especially when you consider that Rick McIntyre who is considered the leader of Yellowstone's wolf-watching team, is proud of his old Scottish ancestry 🐺🐺
The Scots are mostly ok, it's just the power of the farming and hunting industry, which the govt won't stand up to, which is the blocking point.
We have more wolves than the rest of the lower 48 (continental US for the brits) because we have more beavers. Wolves hunt solo during the summer and eat a lot of beavers.
They're caught in a strange spot. "Market Hunting" moves very quickly. They don't want their people to have guns, but they could sell Hunting license Visas.
Hunting licenses for Americans with no seasonal limitations, that could be an interesting way to boost tourism.
We are still at the mercy of the landed gentry in the UK. It runs deep into the framework of tradition, power and influence. I've always been bothered by the lack of trees in our country, it's like something was always missing. I'm from Cornwall and I find Bodmin Moor depressing, it's largely an unwelcoming impassable bog. It must have been breathtaking when it was covered in native woodland.
So true. I live near Dartmoor. It's sad.
2nd Dartmoor, it was once a dense forest like Wistmans Wood but now it's mostly heather and rock with only a few isolated, foreign forests :/
@@lordofthehunt5384 I love Wistman's wood - a 150 acre area around Sheepstor came up for sale but the new owner had to allow all the normal grazing to occur. It could have been a good rewilding project.
@charlottescott7150 honestly its ashame, Dartmoor National Park should buy up this land or inpose requirements for % of land to be rewilded. We can't rely on private ownership to do the right thing, as the ongoing legal case regarding camping shows.
Class-ism rears it's head again. It's fine when it's about those nasty gents though, right?
That's all you peasants do, cry about what you haven't got.
In the USA, we have quite a few types of bears. One species that seems to coexist with humans fairly well is the black bears that are present, particularly on the east coast. I've been camping in the mountains of North Carolina and know someone who had their hammocks tied up in the forest near the campground. They woke up in the middle of the night to find a bear underneath their hammocks. They left the bear alone, and the bear left them alone. ( One key thing is, they had no food with them)
Black bears are everywhere in the us not just the east coast
I’ve also run into a black bear, at night no less. Years ago was doing night land nav with ROTC at the time in the north woods. Was doing dead reckoning through trees with a partner, and we stopped about 5 ft in front of a black bear, it was on one side of a narrow trail and we were on the other. Saw it in the moonlight but it was otherwise cast in shadow. We backed away slowly and it left us alone. Black bears are family. Just be smart and respectful in the woods and you’ll be fine
right, but Europe only has one kind of bears (unless you count some very Northern islands like Svalbard, Island etc that have Polar Bears) - the brown bears, which are the same species as Grizzly bears, so they're the big bears, but they also coexist with humans mostly fine. There are some attacks, but it's not super common, especially considering how thousands of them live in quite close proximity to populated or touristy areas.
Another example other than Yellowstone is with the re-introduction of african wild dogs to Gorongosa national park in Mozambique. You could watch it in a documentary called "landscape of fear", which also involves lots of researchers from top universities who followed the re-introduction
Lots of different hits for “landscape of fear” but I think I found the documentary.
“Nature’s Fear Factor FULL SPECIAL | PBS America”
I live in Canada, I've been camping where wolves are very common. They tend to avoid humans. We're too big, noisy and smelly.
Sure they'll attack some livestock but they're such a cool animal. Hearing a pack howl at night when camping in the back-country is the most eerie and thrilling experience. I hope Scotland can get a couple packs.
Here in the Netherlands several wolves are not afraid of humans. They are here since a couple of years and already attacked children (one was bitten, another one run over) and attacked a couple of dogs. Some of them tail bikers and hikers. Does this happen in Canada?
@@e.k.4508 I'm sure it does, I'm not overly familiar with any attacks. Coyote (smaller and similar canine to a wolf) attacks on family pets are common since they have adapted to urban life. Canadian population is pretty limited to the southern boarder so there are vast swaths of land that have little to no human presence.
If I'm hiking by myself I'm more worried about Cougars or finding myself between a Mother Bear and her cubs. The most scared I've been was while canoeing and rounding a bend in the river and coming face to face with a big moose.
Judging from what little I know of the Netherlands, its pretty developed and not too many truly wild areas so I'm not surprised they've gotten brave.
They are even back in the Netherlands now. Far more densely populated than Alba. Sheep farmers are howling for rage, but in many countries they have coexisted with wolves for centuries.
Yeah well, sheep farmers always will, it affects their profit, doesn't change anything though, other industries also constantly argue and they don't necessarily get a free pass, farmers have the right to cry and ask for subsidies, and environmental agencies have the duty to give them ways to reduce predation damage while compensating them without allowing them to kill anything problematic, mainly because they will just search for something else to blame, if you work on sheep you will search for a way to get money by blaming everything on predation, that it happens doesn't mean we should take them completely seriously when they say eagles will cause the collapse of agriculture
How are you forgetting the fact that wolves have attacked people and killed dogs?
@@joriswinter4052 that is a rare occurance and nothing but a scare factor narrative when you actually look at figures. wolves don't like people, they typically stay away from people and new research is also showing wolves don't predate on livestock anywhere near what people claim. most of what you see about wolves in america is 18 century thinking and for sports.
same for belgium, they do take livestock once in a while, but god damn it's nature, yeahj it's not cool, but if the governement pays the 'damage' ...
I will say they are not just a problem for the sheep, they have killed dogs, attacked children. Even horses have been killed and now need to be locked up in their stables again all day and night. Any use the wolves could have is 'keeping the numbers in check' of the wild animals, but they are simply decimating them, there is no balance. We have already nearly lost the mouflon, which will remove ten times the biodiversity the wolf might bring.
I went travelling around Europe and came across a wolf pack outside a tiny ghost village in Northern Spain. The only other person I saw was carrying a scythe and muttering something underneath his breath. He was much scarier than the wolves!
Are you sure this wasn't Resident Evil 4 ?
There are different species of wolves.... they are different in size/weight/power.
@@S.Trades well, there are subspecies of grey wolf, but the Eurasian wolf, the most common one in Europe, is also the biggest of Europe.
As l have commented in the past, there's a pack of 40 wolves living in Mt. Parnetha national park, just 20 klms from the center of Athens. They re-appeared back in 2011 and there have been only a few attacks on pet dogs, and I must note that Parnetha receives a few hundred visitors daily. Wolves seem to live perfectly although the whole of the mountain is around 400 klms2. They feed mostly on red deer and boar and less on Cretan wikd goat. If people in Scotland have second thoughts about wolves attacking livestock, then why don't they aquire shepherd dogs to guard their flocks? We did that with the reintroduction of the Greek shepherd. Sheperd dogs not only protect the sheep from the wolves but also the wolves from hunans, because if the wolves can't kill sheep then there's no actual reason of hunting them down.
Because that costs money, so it eats away at profit margins, which means a price increase on the product that in the end doesn't really matter but most farmers don't like changes and no longer remember how to protect livestock from wolves, most don't even check on sheep leaving them to roam freely only going every several weeks, unless the industry becomes less corrupt a successful reintroduction is unlikely
@@Solstice261 Maybe they have to change their mindset. The environment will keep on degrading without an apex predator and one day their sheep will starve. Raising temperatures will lead to a decrease of rain fall too.
As for the cost of having shepherd dogs l have heard a Greek sheep herder claiming that in the span of ten years he lost only one lamb and two were injured due to his dogs. And his herd were grazing at Metsovo, Epirus were there is a rather large population of wolves and brown bears.
@@sarantissporidis391 well in the west coast of Scotland climate change is actually leading to more rain but point still stands since I've heard drowning severely reduces the growth rate of lambs
@@Solstice261😂
In Denmark, the first wolf in 200 years was seen in 2012. and today there are about 32-42 adult wolves. They came back themselves. Denmark is pretty small and most of Denmark is farmland so not much forest compared to sweden and norway. but Denmark also has a lot of deer. so i would definitely say that they would be just fine in scotland
i am not an expert and most i wrote was about an article i read some while ago and a quick 5 min google search just now so some of it may not be 100% accurate i would love a video about it and hear if it could happen to other places like you talked about in this video and potentially use it as an example.
Yeah the whole space argument in the UK is a bit redundant tbh it's a poor excuse.
In the Netherlands we also have wolfs.(ja ik ben een Nederlander) Not all ppl are happy. The kill a lot off sheep and so on... Yes the can do good things but also a lot off bad things.
@@ajaxtelamonian5134 i have to fully agree with this, i have spent many times over the years in Europe, desperately keen to see or even hear a wolf. I have seen a few bears, but wolves instinctively know to keep away from humans. 25 years now i have been trying just to get a glimpse, hopefully one day. So the UK could easily support wolves, and do you know what, most people won't even know they are there. The worst thing for the wolves, is bad publicity by some member of the press trying to sell cheap headlines for a quick sale.
@@ajaxtelamonian5134true. The only block in the road is the sheep farming industry
@@MrTatiaanit can be prevented with the use of government given electric fences, sheep protecting dogs
Beavers, they cut down trees, they eat their lunch, they go to the lavatory (with apologies to Python). Great to see the Spey beavers making an impact in less than a year. Another brilliant video, Rob.
I'm a part of a community in Scotland sandwiched in the middle of Sitka farming that is trying to purchase a 17 acre plot of land as an ecological oasis in a sea of industry. We've recently just had our first siting of Beavers who have just moved in to the area, as well as a population of various protected and unprotected species.
We're doing a lot of citizen science to show what great ecology we have on our doorstep but finding funders to help with the purchase of the land is a long and arduous process and it's videos like yours that keep me excited and focused on the goal. Another great video!
Its sad humans have allowed this damage to get so far.
Much of it is down to greed.
How far our misguided species has fallen out of connection with Mother Nature. Shameful and disgraceful.
Mate, you yourself are fast becoming a national treasure!
Canada Agrees ✅
As a Californian; I visited a resort/gated community last summer, where one of my aunts and uncles have a house, and it contains ecosystems similar to what is shown here in the Scottish Highland Hills that are called the chaparral, right by the coastal cliffs, and of course, our native temperate grasslands sprinkled with large oak trees that have become my favorite.
The more I educated myself on ecology, and started studying a lesson package from the savory Institute; (for which I think it’s methods could benefit sheep farmers, even if it would require fenced paddocks for specifically timed and managed grazing), the other healthy, and possibly manageable balanced ecosystems that I saw in the video, reminded me a lot of the various ecosystems in California I described, with a measurable succession of chaparral coastal Hills and cliffs, grasslands, and of course, woodlands and forests. I saw them described and pictured on a poster at the resort lobby, when my family was hanging out over there were there was a pool and slide.
Besides my ancestral homeland of Ireland that I have promised to visit in my next European trip after visiting Munich Germany; I will need to visit that resort near Monterey California again, let alone the similarities between the San Francisco Bay Area, where my parents live, and other regions of the same ecosystem in proximity to Los Angeles, and even San Diego, where I currently live, where I have been finding the same coast Live Oak tree with one in my neighborhood.
The ultimate rewilding projects I hope to oversee and collaborate with farmers, is the expanding reintroduction of the native tule elk that resemble, yet are a little smaller than the Rocky mountain elk of Yellowstone. Tule elk are the native large, wild grazers of California’s grassland hills, and possibly the keystone herbivore across the described ecosystems from the chaparral cliff hills, where one of their reserves are that I visited, the grasslands and oak tree Savannah, wetlands with their namesake tule plant that is a type of Sedge-grass that they eat, and possibly the story of oak tree Woodlands and Forests, with the possibility of redwoods where they grow naturally.
Central coastal California also has a population of feral pigs that are expanding as they are invasive in the north American context, yet I foresee Wolf conservation being potentially utilized to check them; and to prove that human hunters, and native predators can coexist in a timeless concert that the indigenous people knew.
I soon learned about rewilding after initially, exploring the savory institute and studying my lesson package for which I will continue with. They are all tools to reinvigorate our native ecosystems, for the naturally necessary carbon sinks they will have to become against climate change.
Regenerative agriculture, and rewilding, I hope to oversee peaceful, coexistence and management where some examples currently exist from what I know.
At the end of the day, with my original comment, I foresee with the raw footage of this video in Scotland, understanding the ecology of chaparral hills, and grasslands with the sheep farmers, along with the native woodland forest. The example I saw in California, was an inspiring example for me, given my upbringing there.
class stuff lad, looking forward to more Scotland
its coming cookie
Two of my favorite nature channels
@@LeaveCurious There'll be too much Protest from too many, I fear...
I 100% support the reintroduction of wolves to the UK & Ireland. I am in my 50's now and in my own lifetime i have noticed the sudden drop in wildlife, but i think the last 20 years has seen a mindset change, younger people are the ones behind it and i have a strong hope that they will be the ones who begin to make the shift. With that i believe my children, grandchildren and one day their children will see a world far greater than the one i grew up in. I understand the old prejudices about wolves, but society changes. Just look at the changes in our own society, they have changed dramatically in my lifetime, so if believe if society can change, why can't our wildlife change for the better also in just as quickly. I understand the Lynx argument, but i truly believe young people are ripe for full change and don't need the baby steps my generation probably still need. The future is in wiser hands.
UK is a green desert where there should be a temperate rainforest. Rewilding is much harder with so many sheep and deer.
We DO have temperate rainforest.
@S.Trades yes we do but what remains is less than 1% of what we used to have. That too with the right ecosystem engineers & keystone species could be restored but it’s doubtful as there’s no money to be made from land with trees on it.
Firstly, I love your work! Please keep doing it. As to the question of how to convince hunters and farmers in the UK to allow wolves back into the ecosystem, here are a few ideas to look at.
1) Human hunters take the biggest and best but wolves take the weak and feeble. Ecologists note that this improves the health of the overall population.
2) This improved health means less danger of uncontrollable outbreaks of diseases like mad cow, which if i remember correctly, was in part, spread from farm to farm through natural vectors like free roaming deer.
3) And back to the hunting lobby, if trophies are what they want, take another look at the US, which does allow hunting and trapping of wolves in certain states to prevent cycles of wolf overpopulation and collapse.
I'm not a fan of trophy anything but I am a seeker of ecological balance. Wolves can be a huge help to humans in creating healthy, vibrant and resilient ecosystems.
I really really really hope you guys get wolves back someday. I'm a Canadian, from British Columbia which is chocked with different biotopes from temperate rainforests to legit deserts complete with scorpions to alpine mountains and when I hiked across Scotland in 2020 on the Scottish National Trail the barren lifelessness of the Highlands was beyond spooky.
It was also weird as hell seeing so many expensive and labour intensive fencing projects happening in an effort to bring back forests for the red squirrel. These fences were to prevent the deer from getting in and eating the baby trees but it just felt so incredibly wasteful and foolish to me when wolves work 24/7 at deer control for pretty much free (after the costs involved with reintroducing them.) Wolves're also extremely intelligent, as shown by the fact that they possess *generational knowledge* which means that the elders pass on knowledge to the young, just like people. (They also mourn their dead, get super excited about their puppies, howl to locate each other, howl because it's fun, and romp around their densites playing together because they are, after all, just wild puppers.)
And what kind of knowledge? It's generally strategies for hunting *specific species of prey* - which means that wolves generally hunt the same prey that their ancestors hunted and rarely deviate. It's actually pretty uncommon for a wolf to deviate from this but it does happen - in the book Homeward Wolf by Kevin Van Tighem a black male is mentioned as being recorded (GPS collar) as figuring out how to hunt mountain goats. They kept getting pings from this wolf's collar showing him in bizarre, very un-wolf-like places like crossing glaciers so they went out on foot to figure out what he was doing. Turns out, pupper was hunting mountain goats which live in incredibly dangerous terrain - and not only that, this wolf ended up teaching his pups to hunt them to!
But, this black male was kind of a maverick - with most wolves if their parents ate elk then that's what they prefer to hunt to, and that's what they teach their own pups to hunt. In the book Wild Horses, Wild Wolves by Maureen Enns it's actually documented that wolves and wild horses in the Alberta foothills actually live relatively peacefully together. The wolves have plenty of elk to hunt so they don't bother the horses and the horses remain pretty calm even when the wolves are within plain sight. The horses aren't the wolf population's prey and they seem to know it.
And yeah, wolves are statistically pretty much harmless to people - in an entire century in North America there wasn't a single human attacked by a healthy wild wolf. They - and other native predators as well - also have a negligent effect upon livestock who are statistically far more likely to be killed by inclement weather (aka heatstroke or freezing to death,) or by dystocia (difficult birth) which are both problems which could be mitigated through the simple use of range riders (cowboys.) In addition, most livestock who are killed by predators are far more likely to be killed by a domestic dog out on the lam* than by any native wild predator.
So while I suspect a few sheep might be killed for the most part the wolves would be pretty laser focused on the deer. Red deer are, after all, just elk!
*A big problem in Scotland, I saw countless signs reminding hikers that if their dog got loose in a sheep field it's completely legal for the farmer to shoot said dog on sight.
Also a sidenote I like to use: because wolves protect riparian habitats by keeping deer moving, their presence improved habitat for the fish which anglers love to catch! They're literally a fisherman's friend because more healthy fish habitat = more healthy fish for anglers to fawn over. 😂
Absolutely agree to reintroducing our lost wildlife. UK have lost far too many species. Too many people need to learn more and respect our environment and wildlife. Too many prefer plastic grass, paved over gardens and brick walls instead of hedges.
I am a teenager born and raised in the U.S, but it has been my dream for years to return wolves to the world, now my more reasonable personal goal is to simply start a sanctuary for wolves. But I still hope to see wolves return to Britain. I hope we are both successful in our journeys! For the better!
I'm completely with you and your enthusiasm for reintroduction of wolves and surely lynx, the latter possibly even less lilely to trouble humans. But the elephant in the room is our political legacy, surely? Most of the land in Scotland is still privately owned, and although some estates are focussing on rewilding, far too many are owned by wealthy peoole who want to promote their elitist and expensive pursuits like deer stalking and grouse shooting. The latter is the battleground for raptors like the golden eagle and especially hen harrier. In my neck of the woods on the Cornwall/ Devon border, the woodlands in particular are completely overrun by verminous pheasants, that are only here again for the sake of wealthy shooters, but which catastrophically damage the invertebrate ecosystems. My probably controversial remedy is firstly get rid of the monarchy, and enure their estates are given back to the British people where they belong. Then abolish the Lords and hereditary peerages at the same time, which will help again in reclaiming the land they wrongly occupy. I don't think we will see reintroduction of any larger predators until this happens, as the landed gentry still keep us off most of our countryside and dictate what happens on it.
LOVE this. Since moving to Scotland I have realised the impact deer and sheep have on the landscape and not just because of their numbers but because they are not acting like the prey species they are as nothing is there to scare them in to constant moving across the land! It would be amazing if wolves came back!
We really need Wolfs in the UK, Cairngorms Forest is dying because of over grazing, the wolf would stop that , just to name 1
Why are there too many deer - draconian anti poaching laws - you can even be prosecute for illegal possession of venison.
Which 'Cairngorms Forest' or which forest in the Cairngorms is dying? There has been a very good recovery in Rothiemurcus, Glenmore, Glenfeshie and around Mar in the last 20 years, just by more intense deer management to reduce grazing & browsing pressure. Natural treelines are much higher than they used to be. All without re-introducing wolves or lynx.
*wolves
In California, wolves just appeared in the last few years, and individuals WALKED those thousand miles from Yellowstone. Just to have a sense that wolf introduction would be to the whole GB, not just Scotland. Love your channel!
California is over 4 times the size of scotland n nearly twice the size of britain n britain has a population of about 70 million people, thats why wolves will need to remain extinct in britain, itd be cruel for the wolves, theyd try to spread to other areas n would run straight into humans, how many other states are in reach of california? Thats plenty of space that they could never have in britain, alot of brits think a huge space is a couple of football pitches worth of field, they dont realise how much space those things really need, imo
Finally, a British person admits Britain is treeless and barren. Since I moved from my native country Hungary, I have been saying this. And Hungary is not even heavily forested (well, it's deforested like many European countries) with a forest cover of about 25%. But the UK is far worse and what some call beautiful (the desert-like hills you showed) I always found outright ugly - not because mother nature is ugly but because it is so unnatural. Deserts are beautiful. But the UK should not be a desert. It was messed up by shortsighted (stupid) people. It's a wonderful country with amazing landscape by nature - effed up by humans.
Reintroducing wolves would be awesome! Finally, a touch of nature in a country so brutally destroyed by human activities, an ever-growing population, spreading urban areas, and the so-called civilisation. On the other hand, I can easily imagine the vast remote landscapes of Scotland, home of wolves!
0:11 werewolves live!
Nah. If they ever existed, the last died in may of 2011. Something wiped them out and I'm not sure what. They seemed to hide in plain sight by creating and then inhabiting the Therian subculture, but in their absence that subculture has degraded to become just a subgroup of the furries.
One was killed in Piccadilly Circus 43 years ago.
Everything you talked about is spot on. I learned this at Writtle college years ago. You have put it succinctly in 20 minutes which I studied for four years. It is so nice to hear it from someone who understands conservation and is experienced. I am there with you in spirit, and love rewilding projects. You should speak to wildlife expert and conservationist Chris Packham. You are on the same page. Wow introduction will happen. Beavers have been introduced and the results are remarkable. I think there have been issues globally with apex predators being persecuted, and thus follows the demise of an ecosystem, and lower trophic levels of wildlife have increased or become extinct. Key species are the key to rewilding. Love your enthusiasm 😊
Here in Sweden the government work very hard to get rid of our wolves. (All wildlife it seems) Only the other day they decided that the favourable conservation statues for the wolf must be almost halved from 300 individuals to 170. It is so sad. They allow hunting of Brown Bear, wolf, lynx, wolverine, badger, moose and all wildlife to extinction here. Old superstitions and fears seems to go very deep in the souls of our politicians. (Or is it just greed as several of them have interests in hunt tourism?) Some people fight as best they can for wolves and all wildlife (Svenska Rovdjursföreningen/Swedish Carnivore Association for example)
Just last night i saw a wolf while walking my dog and at this point it isnt that unusual here in southern finland
I've often worried about the health of Britain's wildlife in the absence of predators. This is such excellent news! I'm so excited for all of you!
Being from Michigan (US), I've seen my share of wolves and they are beautiful creatures. Our wolves are beautiful, shy creatures which I've never seen act aggressively unless on the defense. As far as trees go, Michigan has such an abundance of trees that historically we needed to mow down saplings just to create space for walking paths from one neighbor to another. Michigan's climate and geology is very similar to that of Scotland.
You should have a healthy fear of wolves of course, as with all wild predatory animals, but of all the predators in N. America, wolves are truly the least of one's worries. I'd be warier of some bears, wild cats, MOOSE (terrified to run into one of those) and late winter starving coyote packs than I ever would a family of wolves. Which is what a pack actually is: blood-related, immediate family. The entire alpha theory is almost completely false.
Hope you enjoy all the pretty photos you're going to have!
We also have sheep in Germany, but they are not allowed to roam and graze where they want. There is always a shepherd with them bringing them to defined areas. We have a lot of deer though. But we have many forests and fence out the deer in new plantations.
I really appreciate your pragmatic approach to rewilding whilst still sticking to your principles. As much as I’d love to snap my fingers and magically have everything reintroduced the sad reality is that our nation is in the death grip of several institutions and we have to work with them to get the ball rolling. Keep up the great work.
Whenever I think of rewilding with Wolves all I can picture in my head is the video of Wolves changing Rivers in Yellowstone Park. One of the most beautiful and breathtaking videos I've ever seen. BBTW! Bring Back The Wolves! GG Wrote this before I got through your video. :-)
There’s big populations of wolves in northern Portugal, Spain and Italy. Scotland can definitely support them, would love to see that!
Remember being in Yellowstone national park and aeeing one with my Brother going into a shop to the north of the park telling them we saw one and the cashier guy told us that was a VERY special thing and a huge deal as theres people in the town that had lived there 40years and not seen one.
In the netherlands we got the wolf back, and it's a succes.
yes there's been attacks. but they all came to one common source. people walking their dogs unleashed in known wolf habitats where the wolfs just had pups.
and the attacks on farm animals could be easily prevented, but most farmers are to lazy to do so. there's this thing called "stables" where your live stock can sleep at night safely.
Superb video, give thanks for your inspiration, hearing your clarity of purpose coupled with passion gives me strength. It has just underlined, and helped direct a decades long personal quest of temperate rainforest restoration. I work in Wales, which is a pocket handkerchief version of the Scottish landscape that you describe, but the themes ring true like the singing stones of Maenclochog.
Hi, I was a bit surprised to see all the little plastic bottles, which would quickly tot up having them every day. I enjoyed your video though and deeply agree that we need wolves back. Best wishes
Btw Portuguese gov promised to maintain a level of protection on Iberian wolf after Brussel's vote ) Also peeps usually fear what they don't understand and for the last couple of decades we are more than disconnected from understanding and dealing with mother nature. Thanx for the vid, gives me hope for the Scottish highlands
Personally I don't think we'll ever get the wolf back in Britain without the reintroduction of the Lynx (which you mention at the end). The Lynx is a smaller predator which still prefers deer as its main prey and which still avoids humans. It's also likely to trigger many of the same effects as the wolf just on a smaller scale.
To me it seems a far easier hurdle to bring the Lynx back first and then once we have seen the positive impact from the Lynx use that as evidence to bring back a small population of wolves.
Also on the note of hunting deer for venison (plus using the other bits, skin for leather or furs, bones for broth or glue, so on and so forth. It's more disrespectful to not use as much of the animal as you can), I think increasing the supply of venison in British markets is a great idea. Cows are one of the most carbon intensive animals to farm for food, and due to our massive over abuncance of deer, we can use venison as an effective substitute for beef. Doing so wouldn't lower the amount of carbon produced by UK food sources by as much as just cutting all beef would, but it'd still be a noticeable cut. Plus personally I think venison tastes nice and I don't really like beef apart from burgers.
I lived in Salmon,ID at the time of the reintroduction of the wolves. I was lucky enough to see them since they were being held at BLM(my dad worked there). The sad thing is all the misinformation about wolves in our rural areas. I really hope that changes 🥰❣️❣️❣️
In norway the government still allows hunting of large predators despite them already having very low populations. Their justification is to avoid predators hunting livestock. But in the summer sheep literally roam on the mountains with no fence or supervision so no wonder they are eaten
I disagree with the comments around sheep farming. The fashion industry is a massive problem for the environment because of non renewable fibres and fast fashion. Education and investment in renewable fibres like wool will help. Surely there is a way that sheep can live in a rewilded landscape.
Good and important video.
I'd love to see all the fauna (and flora) which we eliminated over the last 2000 years in the UK being restored but I definitely don't want to see what the WEF has planned with 'human settlement zones' (15 minute cities) and 'rewilding' of pre-Ice Age mega-fauna.
If we just stop the industrial farming (which is destroying the soil and landscape) and get back to smaller, more diverse farms (not owned by billionaires who want to kill us) using traditional crop rotation to restore the soils and provide food which doesn't rely on anti-biotics and artificial fertilizers then all will be good.
The points you make here are very valid and I can't really argue with them. However ..... I'd definitely say that I'd like to see a gradual introduction of apex predators which will create a properly sustainable food web starting with the Lynx, Puma (already living here but largely unacknowledged) then Wolves.
Wolves should be the last of the predators to be introduced since they are pack hunters and other than large bears they are the apex of the apex predators.
I'm not sure that anyone in the UK wants bears and I would have to upgrade my gun collection if there were bears living here as I live in the countryside where these predators would be (re)introduced, lol
Wolves Lynx Beavers bring them back. Live in Costa Rica and wildlife is amazing. Scotland has so much potential to become that heart in Europe
Excellent analysis, thank you
It's the sort of conversation that we should be engaging in with our young people in schools. Luckily, that's exactly what I'm doing. When you understand the science, the rest makes sense.
We have exactly the same issue with deer in Ireland. We have not one but THREE invasive species (sika fallow and roe), brought in by large landowners for hunting. They are not only eating every sapling in sight and stopping regeneration, but interbreeding with our native red deer. There is an annual cull that the public always give out about because... I dont know... theyre majestic and cute. And Bambi. Theyre only here about 150 years but are destroying the land and costing people loads of money, are fully invasive yet people want to keep them. Theres debates on the news every few months. Its a tricky one.
As a Canadian where we have wolves in every province and territory save one (PEI), I'm completely baffled by the trepidation and cowardice exhibited in Britain for the re-introduction of apex predators. I mean, you can't even get the little lynx thing sorted out in spite of endless studies and research that proves, without exception, that a "wild" environment without large predators is not a natural environment. I mean hell, we even tolerate coyotes in our large cities here and apart from the loss of the odd house pet, we co-exist without conflict.
Stop dragging your asses Britain. Allowing wolves to be introduced to your less populated regions will have a phenomenal cascade effect within as little as ten years. Be brave.....like the wolf.
As a Canadian I couldn't agree more. The vast majority of of people in the UK will never even notice
It's true there's a slight loss when farming in the UK, but the farming media I've seen shows a lot of people very hostile to the concept that they should give up their way of life, even if they do agree that more should be done to protect the environment. Such as there have been farmers in the outer Isles and such who are currently hostile to the sea eagles, as they kill lambs. Even if people might make more money if their sheep were all bought up and they moved onto a different lifestyle, I think a better option would be to turn people onto subsidies which rely on them working with ecologists on decreasing or moving grazing more into lowlands and increasing the amount of trees, such as with things such as biodiversity net gain (the planning policy).
They generally think of things as such as "We're the people making the food which you all rely on, and it's thankless work.". It does make sense to have wolves but even if most sheep are left alone, farmers who feel like they won't have compensation if their sheep are lost are going to be very resistant to any introduction.
Similarly with the grouse, the problem is that it's set up somewhat mafia like, the common folk who prepare the land for the richer folk are more interested in the money than they are on anything else, might not be any other jobs around their areas, never mind good paid jobs. The economic outlook on this front is easy to solve if there's a way to get them money, but the hardest bit on this front other than finding the best way to make sure these people don't feel like they need the money to do the worst thing, is to convince them that ecologists aren't just city people coming over and trrying to stop them working their ancestral farms.
Just promise to pay farmers compensation for the loss of each sheep like they doing Europe. I believe around €60 per animal in Germany. They only pay-out for a few hundred animals a year, so say €20k per year for the whole country.
@@RussTillling Italy Has a breed of anti wolf dog and they work well at scaring wolves away from sheep. The farmers just need to put in a bit of effort and stop the sheep roaming completely freely and they'll have almost 0 attacks.
Here in the Netherlands there's a big battle between the agri-lobby/big-ag and rewilding. Reintroducing big herbivores in our tiny wildlife parks like deer, elk, wild horses (like Przewalskis and Konik), heck-bovines, wild boar and even the Wisent (European bison) was quite easy. Problem is, that all these herbivores overgraze the already quite degraded lands. We also have had a very slowly recovering water-quality. Which has brought back salmon, sturgeon and the trout. Which in turn has brought back the otter and polecat and better rewilding of forests has brought back the beaver, martin species (mainly stone martins) and things like squirrels owls and other birds of prey. Our meadows are home to rabbits, hares, feasants/grouse and weasels.
Some animal rights people have for years resisted shooting deer, elk and other big herbivores and these animals have degraded the land so much that they have grazed some places bare. With only the big trees standing until they die. There aren't even mushrooms because rodents, deer and wild boar have eaten hem. It has gotten so bad, people had to feed the herbivores with hay even in mild winters to have them survive until spring.
All the air pollution by roads/highways, industry and agriculture have degraded our soil and acidifficated it with nitrates and sulfides so our soil has became to acidic for many trees which is leading to mass die-offs, a terrible degredation of our insect population and plant diseases. Thanks to our large scale agriculture we have an excess of 4 trillion kgs of manure (mainly; cow, pig and chicken) from agriculture. The wolf has reintroduced itself by migrating from Germany where it is quite populous. The European lynx might also reintroduce itself here and in the far f7ture maybe the brown bear in certain parts (probably the southeast because it's one of the few places it has some sort of hillsides to dig into or limestone caves for the winter time.
The backlash that was talked about in the clip originated here, unfortunately. It has totally spoiled the debate and the agri- and trophy hunting-lobby have teamed up and found a willing ear in the far right who have turned it into a culture war issue. I hope someday soon we can and will resolve this nonsense and really start truly rewilding. We need to do it for ourselves and the planet if not, the future looks very dark and grim.
No wolves no forest, there's no other way around it, unless the deer are wiped out. I want our wilderness restored, I want to be able to enjoy it.
Mac tíre is the word for wolf in Irish and it translates into son of the land . Faolchú is also used for wolf but I like the older "son of the land"
One of my favourite books as a young adult was a book about wolves, that stated that there had never been an incident recorded in history of a healthy wolf attacking an adult human. I think you make a good point in this video that it’s more about £££ from farming and hunting.
Don't forget that 'Elk" are different animals in Europe and the US. In the US they are Elk (Cervus canadensis) (think big Red Deer) where in Europe "Elk" is the name used for what in the US is called a moose (Alces americanus). During the video you said "Elk" referring to a UK native "Elk" and you showed a picture of C.canadensis not A.americanus. Maybe a minor point but it is the kind of thing that drives me mad. Just like having kookaburra calls in a jungle scene set anywhere outside Queensland did when I was a young lad.
And yes it would be wonderful to re-introduce wolves and lynx to Scotland. Having been to Yellowstone it is amazing to look out and see real wild wolves just doing their thing.
no not really mate moose is called a moose, a deer is called a deer, and an elk is a big deer. simple as
maybe they got some retards somewhere else in europe maybe those people are you but most europeans call the moose a moose cause its a moose
@@nicholasgoodfellow5774 “sigh”. If you don’t believe me search for “Moose” in Wikipedia
Although I did make one mistake. The Latin name for Moose (N. America) or Elk (Eurasia) is Alces alces Alces alces americana is the Eastern Moose subspecies
@@nicholasgoodfellow5774no… what Americans call moose we have regional names for. So individuals in the American population are called “moose” and individuals in the Eurasian population are called “elk”. Americans call a different species an “elk” and ALL three are deer species… “simple as that”.
Can you do an autumn review in Schotland so people can see how beautiful it would be if there were more trees instead of barren land?
Not all the Scottish Highlands looks like that. There are also many beautiful areas with large areas of natural and semi-natural forests, less than 30km from where he was filming.
@@lapoguslapogus7161 I know that's why I said that he also needs to show these areas, to show what could be if people would start caring.
Here in the U.S., many rural communities have programs where trophy hunters who take a deer or elk can bring it to volunteer butchers, leave the non-trophy parts there, and the butchers will turn it into recognizable cuts of meat for the local food pantry. You Brits could try something similar?
I live in Southern California and spend a lot of time out in the wilderness. Our apex predators are black bears, mountain lions, and coyotes. While bears and mountain lions certainly have the potential to be dangerous, actual incidents involving humans are incredibly rare and usually involve a mother defending her cubs. Western coyotes are smaller than those found in the eastern states, and even in packs, they’re generally afraid of adult humans-though they can go after children and small pets.
Overall, people here accept our wild neighbors and live peacefully alongside them. Yes, we have more open wilderness, but lions and bears still roam close to urban areas and sometimes even venture in, reminding us that nature isn’t just “out there”-it’s part of our lives. In England, there seems to be more wariness of the wild, likely because centuries of separation have dulled that connection. I truly appreciate this challenge to rekindle it, to embrace the mystery and wonder of living with apex species. By welcoming nature back into our spaces, we have the chance to restore balance and coexist with the planet in a way that’s both thrilling and harmonious. Living with the wild isn’t just about survival; it’s about rediscovering our place in a larger, shared world.
Have we ever considered dumping seed mixes into head waters to quickly (but sloppily) establish any sort of riparian cover down the entire length of the river?
interesting approach! but no, i'm not sure how effective this would be, but would be cool to find out
@LeaveCurious im just thinking to try to get any trees into those devoid landscapes, if only 1-2 trees "land" per valley that's still a huge step forward for natural regeneration
It seems like one of the big problems with this environment is getting it started - all sorts of animals nibble on the shoots so nothing grows up. It seems like strong fences are needed to allow the plants and bushes to establish themselves first.
@@jd3d_cgi
It isn't just deer. Rabbits, hares, rats, mice and other rodents have a huge affect on vegetation growth. In the United Kingdom, so many predators are extirpated that trees have little chance of recovery.
Here in New Mexico, it was found that native mice, rats and other rodents played a far bigger part in diminishing grasslands than bigger herbivores like deer, pronghorn and bison. We still have lots of predators like coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions and restored lobos.
A better means of propagation would be in animal droppings. Just look at tomato plants around water treatment works!!
A very convincing argument for rewilding and the reintroduction of wolves
I would say why not ?
It might help the re-wolfing effort to come over to Alaska and observe how we accept living with "big game" animals, including wolves and yes bears in our back yards, figuratively or literally. FH from Anchorage
the biggest problem that is faced are those individuals that cite the 'right to roam'. all we would have to do would be to adjust our personal safety in the wildness but its one of the biggest barriers being faced by those of us that wish to see Wolves and Lynx back in the country. Its one of the few things i'm really passionate about and the Hope is once my is Enviro-Science Integrated Masters is completed i can work up to this being something I can focus on. Its been a long slog getting what we have in beaver populations back and controlling the Wild Cat mating population to maintain integrity. even if it isn't me I do hope to some day see wolves back on British soil.
As a person that lives in Bear, Mountain Lion, and Wolf country, you never see them unless you go REALLY far in and you start at dawn, making no noise and enter trails they have been sighted recently.
Most large predators just want to be left alone and the incidents you hear about are usually due to a human being stupid, like trying to pet a baby bear.
'can i pet that dawg?' 🤣 I agree, i have family in canada and never hear of incidents with predators. I've only heard on story of a bear incident and it was more a case of the horse spooking that caused injury to the rider over the bear being aggressive.
most predators are seen in folks back yards because they are losing habitat, building on trail routes of these animals and people garbage. its rarely because of a predators wish to harm humans (mountain lions might be exception there, some in California seem to like hikers way more than what they should).
Love your enthusiasm and hope we can build sufficient pressure to start this process off.
I love your enthusiasm; what a great idea. I hope you succeed. I am not a medical practitioner, but from what I have read, you should research not taking vitamin D regularly without K2.
Such an insightful, informative, eye opening yet hopeful video. I couldn’t help but hunk about the land in Australia and how deer, brumby, even kangaroos in some cases are causing the things mentioned such as saplings and native plants not being able to grow. The thing with Australia, besides the dingo more outback rural locations, there are no apex predators to naturally hunt them, and there was never been. Therefore the only way to get rid of them is by culling, really interesting and I wonder what you, or anyone thinks about that. Let me know😊
How about introducing Coyotes instead. Although not native to the UK, they are smaller than wolves and breed more rapidly. There's a helluva lot of them in the US too!
Changes in rain fall levels, the water table and flow rate was the reason for reduction in willow growth, research found that willow with reduced water supply even in fenced control areas, didn't grow back as fast as browsed willow
Bout to make the Lake District so much more beautiful
Tho I knew most the key points, it's good to hear it all again. I'm really glad this idea is catching on, when I first heard it I just instantly thought it great. Another advantge is that trees are the best way to prevent flooding, which I'm conviced is going to become more of a problem. Talking of future problems, maybe the wolves we intro should be from colder places too, because if the AMOC does slow down it will get very cold in Britain.
That wolf taking off with the frozen boar is epic! Dinner time! 😅 17:40
This video has made me really appreciate the resurgence of the deciduous forests of the Appalachian mountain region of the United States. We don't have a lot of wolves yet, but there sure are a lot of coyotes!
To get the best regeneration of the river valleys the reduction in grazing may have to be supplemented by forestry, either planting saplings or distributing seed possibly by air. Trees can't regenerate unless the seed is there to germinate, and I doubt any seed is viable after so long.
@6:50 I have heard people say there is no space, of course there is, apart from the central belt, inland Scotland is almost completely empty.
Thank you for this great video. I think it is very important to note that there are so many countries with possibly dangerous predators. Take Australia for example with kangaroos, spiders, etc. people can learn to be safe and responsible around these animals. The same goes for farming practices (although I’m sure some issues are still caused). I think a lot of hesitation in reintroducing wolves and other predators is fear of the unknown, as the UK has lived so long without them.
With regenerative practices, sheep and cattle farming has less predation from wolves as the land gets time to rest and the animals aren't hanging out in their normal spot night after night causing scent and ranging far apart. The animals stay in a tighter herd, and they move daily or every other day.
The wolves of Yellowstone really brought back so much variety. Wolves moved the elk/deer they didn't eat and a pack of 8-12 wolves ate approximately 16 deer/elk per year and picked the sick or injured or old animals first.
Sheep wool could be used to make natural housing insulation and increase the value of wool.
The only comment I'd make (beyond great video as always Rob) is that apex predators need prey. It seems the best land engineers are beavers, so I'd put their reintorduction ahead of wolves (or even lynx) and work gradually up towards the treeline.
There is prey in Scotland, there is tons of deer so that isn't the problem, it's been actually studied and we even know the population the territory could sustain and it's in the hundreds even when limited to the Highlands
@@Solstice261True ... but ... cover?
@@TheHoveHeretic i am sorry, I don't understand, cover what?
@@TheHoveHeretic if you mean tree cover, quite funnily wolves do pretty well even in areas without forests, they obviously prefer forested areas for their hunting grounds since it helps them remain hidden and such but they are a very adaptable animal, when europe tore its forest up a lot of wolves still managed to live in pastures and such and had to actively be pushed out by people, still you do have a point with starting with smaller animals like beavers and the lynx before moving to something as controversial as the wolf but only the wolf can do what is needed to increase forest cover on a large scale in Scotland and before that happens projects will have to be very much planned and maintained with very little natural regeneration due to deer overpopulation. Beavers are great engineers but they work in a completely different environment and fill a radically different niche, one cannot cover for the other
Wolves are present in Flanders, Belgium, one of the most densely populated parts of Europe. Wolves have been here for 5 years, and not once has there been a human-wolf incident. And it’s very clear that protection with fences is very effective in protecting livestock too.
Unleashed dogs cause way more harm here to both people and livestock than any wolves.
Quite a passionate plea for wolves. We got them back now in The Netherlands and they are causing all kinds of problems for farmers and people walking with their dogs (a few dogs have been taken). But the impact on farmers with sheep is bigger. The government does give money for electric fences and pays for dead sheep. But still de farmers are complaining together with many others. Im not sure about farming in those areas of Scotland. So i cant judge.
Please be careful with any drinks or suppliments that contain Ashwagandha, it can be great, but it also can affect how anti-depressants work (talking about all types, SSRI's, Tricyclics, you name it, it will affect it)
Lived in Canada and Sweden, both in places where there were Wolves, no problem you hear them and ocassionally see them in the distance, they do their thing , and people do theirs.
Cheers to another great ep! Would love to see one on the Stage 0 project in Somerset
This lad is a great, ardent, sincere salesman!
I absolutely agree. I always wanted wolves and other lost animals to return to Britain, especially Scotland, but people's attitudes - mainly the ones you mentioned - are always putting a block on it. Government needs to give them an incentive to change, and punitive measures if they don't. We need nature back in all it's full glory and potential.
I'm all for allowing nature to regain some footholds, and would love to see some more woods across the UK. I have been following the return of the wolf in germany (and used to have heated discussions about it with my father, a hobby hunter who was dead against it). There are problems with livestock, and I can see the side of the farmers who will need to invest in keeping their livestock safe. As such, politicians need to agree to bringing wolves back, and to support / re-imburse farmers. Fences don't cut it in many cases, so there are attempts with special herd guard dogs, and even donkeys to protect sheep, which tends to be expensive too.
I'd expect that to be the main battle before returning wolves to the uk would become even remotely possible.
One sad thing is that so many people look at the scenery of Scotland and think that endless hills devoid of trees but full of heather is beautiful.
Before the Lynx, we should focus on the Scottish Wild Cat. Still holding on in the UK, critically endangered, cute AF, not scary at all. It's the perfect posterchild for the start of the reintroduction of predators.
Wild Cat > Lynx > Wolf > Bear > Death Star.
I used to stalk deer on forestry land. The land owners started demanding qualifications to do what we had been doing for decades. OK so I go do a DSC level one course. Pretty soon that was not good enough and they continue to demand higher and higher and more expensive qualifications. So I had to give up. In a year I used to take fifteen or so roe deer off the land. And so did the rest of my syndicate.