ZooLeopard
Well-Known Member
Zoo licence bid for bison, elk and wildcats 'unlikely'.
BBC News - Zoo licence bid for bison, elk and wildcats 'unlikely'
BBC News - Zoo licence bid for bison, elk and wildcats 'unlikely'
Alladale, the next step
- Thread starter kiang
- Start date
It looks from the article as though objections against the application from groups representing hill walkers and mountaineers will be unlikely, rather than the application itself.
I am glad ...! Seems like a giant leap for native species recovery in the isles?!!! 
By the way, it is all the talk in NL ... with European bison in our dune systems. This being ... that ecologists these days are unsure whether European bison must be considered a typical grassland, mixed habitat or typical deep forest type species. Honestly, it is true ... and a 3-year research project (under the international recovery programme run by the Polish government scientists at Bialowiecza NP).
By the way, it is all the talk in NL ... with European bison in our dune systems. This being ... that ecologists these days are unsure whether European bison must be considered a typical grassland, mixed habitat or typical deep forest type species. Honestly, it is true ... and a 3-year research project (under the international recovery programme run by the Polish government scientists at Bialowiecza NP).
its like in yellowstone where the wapiti (elk) where in vast numbers and ate all the young willows but when they reintroduced wolves the wapiti numbers fell that meant more willows grew to maturity which meant more food for the beavers.
wolves are defiantly beneficial to the environment and will improve the
food web... but I see where they are coming from as anti reintroductionists (don't know whether that is a real word or if I just made it up
) are not impressed by the 'danger' 
wolves could bring to the 'safe' highland forests, BUT if Alledale could obtain the zoo licence and add wolves at a later date making not too much of a fuss people might not notice that much.
As with lynx, beavers and wild boar they are already living in the uk...
boar-escaped from farms in the 50's-60's
beavers- escaped from fur farms and intentionally introduced
lynx- escaped pets along with puma, melanistic leopards and jungle cats
wolves are defiantly beneficial to the environment and will improve the
food web... but I see where they are coming from as anti reintroductionists (don't know whether that is a real word or if I just made it up
) are not impressed by the 'danger' wolves could bring to the 'safe' highland forests, BUT if Alledale could obtain the zoo licence and add wolves at a later date making not too much of a fuss people might not notice that much.As with lynx, beavers and wild boar they are already living in the uk...
boar-escaped from farms in the 50's-60's
beavers- escaped from fur farms and intentionally introduced
lynx- escaped pets along with puma, melanistic leopards and jungle cats
threre is a lot of evidence
a lot of people in my village (including my dad) swears on his life that they saw a large unidentified cat prowling about and although I myself have never seen one 'YET' it is almost certain that big cats do roam the British countryside.
check out these links:
http://kentbigcats.blogspot.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_big_cats
www.ukbigcats.co.uk - The Definitive Guide To UK Big Cats
British Big Cats - British Big Cats Society, Prove and Protect, Big Cat Sightings, Official Website
zoogiraffe
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't call those sites evidence,just as I wouldn't say that a site claimimg to have pictures of UFO's was evidence of life on other planets!threre is a lot of evidence
a lot of people in my village (including my dad) swears on his life that they saw a large unidentified cat prowling about and although I myself have never seen one 'YET' it is almost certain that big cats do roam the British countryside.
check out these links:
http://kentbigcats.blogspot.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_big_cats
www.ukbigcats.co.uk - The Definitive Guide To UK Big Cats
British Big Cats - British Big Cats Society, Prove and Protect, Big Cat Sightings, Official Website
They are sites for people that want to believe that the goverment is keeping the evidence of Big Cats,in the country from us,none of the sites have any evidence that convinces me that there is any shred of truth,in Big Cats being on the lose in the UK!
a lot of people in my village (including my dad) swears on his life that they saw a large unidentified cat prowling about and although I myself have never seen one 'YET' it is almost certain that big cats do roam the British countryside.
The debate about whether 'Big Cats' roam the British countryside has been on-going for many years now. Most sightings are unproven, though occassional isolated specimens have been trapped, or found killed on roads.
But that is very different from the idea that a single species- Lynx- is established in the wild. 'Big cats' generally, and Lynx individually are two different subjects. Even if 'big cats' were living in the countryside, it doesn't mean all, or any of them, are Lynx. I know of no evidence that Lynx are living ferally/wild anywhere in UK.
I guess it is a subject like UFO's and ghosts that you either do or don't believe in 
but there is some fact: big cat sightings and evidence of there existence has been found but most people think that it is stupid or silly but in actual fact it is quite possible.
anyway this is dragging a bit from the original topic
but there is some fact: big cat sightings and evidence of there existence has been found but most people think that it is stupid or silly but in actual fact it is quite possible.
anyway this is dragging a bit from the original topic
I guess it is a subject like UFO's and ghosts that you either do or don't believe in
but there is some fact: big cat sightings and evidence of there existence has been found but most people think that it is stupid or silly but in actual fact it is quite possible.
anyway this is dragging a bit from the original topic
There are strong views on both sides of this subject, but there are several issues involved. Yes it is certainly possible for the odd carnivore to have been released either deliberately or by accident especially around the time of the wild animal licencing came into force, many such animals were kept without licence privately in the UK at that time.There is little definate proof but then again there is nothing to say it has not occured either. However, worryingly, some members of the general public wouldn`t know an Alsatian from a Lion- as was proven recently when the "Essex Lion" turned out to be a domestic moggy. It would take a genuine sighting by a person who really knew what they were looking at to be credible. Another point is that there are many sad people who are very keen to "create" such a sighting in order to enjoy the publicity for themselves, these people seem to relish this kind of false attention. Remember too the recent case of a large stuffed toy white tiger being placed in a hampshire field for instance. Is it a joke , well quite possibly, but they also know that it will initially be taken seriously by the police and others, it has to be as it is a potential threat situation, but in truth the average police officer probably wouldn`t know what animal it was anyway either!
bigcat speciali
Well-Known Member
I guess it is a subject like UFO's and ghosts that you either do or don't believe in
but there is some fact: big cat sightings and evidence of there existence has been found but most people think that it is stupid or silly but in actual fact it is quite possible.
anyway this is dragging a bit from the original topic
You can find this topic more fits into the Cryptozoology thread which covers such topics.
somewhere on Youtbe I saw a video of a Policeman( this was no doubt mentioned for the credibility it gave the event) rushing to get his camera to film a 'big cat' on a railway line- despite the heavy breathing and excitement, he's clearly filming a black 'moggie' on its railway track hunting grounds.
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bigcat speciali
Well-Known Member
lol, either absolutely massive train tracks or a very small Big Cat!
Big cat captured on video - YouTube
Helensburgh big cat 'is just overfed moggy'
Aug 21 2009 by Jenny Foulds, Lennox Herald (main ed)
A MYSTERIOUS big cat spotted in Helensburgh is nothing more than an overfed moggy, according to experts.
Amazed Ministry of Defence policeman Chris Swallow captured the footage of the prowling ‘Helensburgh’s beast’ on railway tracks near a friend’s house in Kildonan Drive. He said: “I don’t think there’s any doubt that it’s a big cat.”
But experts have examined the shaky footage and say the animal’s characteristics are typical of a domestic cat.
Rob Weaver, a BBC wildlife presenter and film-maker, said it would be very unusual for a big cat to calmly walk around in a public place.
“The small, almost dainty steps the creature takes along the rail are not characteristic of a puma, or a similar big cat, which tend to have a far more loping gait,” he said.
Dr Luke Hunter, executive director of Panthera, a big-cat charity in New York, also said he was certain the beast was really a plump moggy.
He said that big cats such as black panthers do not walk about with upright tails – unlike the animal in the footage.
Graham Law, a zoologist at Glasgow University who has worked with leopards for 23 years, also said the animal was more likely to be of the domestic variety.
He said: “The video isn’t of a good enough quality to verify exactly what the animal is. A leopard would not confidently walk down a railway line. It would more likely move along the sleepers or stay in heavily forested areas.
“People like the idea of believing there’s a mysterious beast roaming around, which is why the sighting may have been hyped up a bit.”
This is true of many of these so-called 'sightings'. I can't believe any of these people(particularly the 'experts') who viewed this particular video, could have been in any doubt that it was anything other than a domestic cat. Maybe the press reworded their quotes to put a more interesting slant on the boring truth.
Haven't seen anything regarding this lately, but there is some news. A herd of three European bison arrived at the reserve and we kept in a separate paddock to the elk or wild boar.
Unfortunately, it seems like the project itself has undergone some setbacks since then. The elk were causing too much damage to the already fragile woodland and were confined to a smaller enclosure. This then led to management problems and they have since all been relocated to zoos and wildlife parks (anyone know where?).
The bison were also simply unmanageable at Alladale and so the project involving them has been completely halted as well- I assume they have also left the reserve.
On the positive side the reserve has commenced red squirrel reintroduction and is beginning to identify potential release sites for any future Scottish wildcat kittens.
Wildlife - TENT
Unfortunately, it seems like the project itself has undergone some setbacks since then. The elk were causing too much damage to the already fragile woodland and were confined to a smaller enclosure. This then led to management problems and they have since all been relocated to zoos and wildlife parks (anyone know where?).
The bison were also simply unmanageable at Alladale and so the project involving them has been completely halted as well- I assume they have also left the reserve.
On the positive side the reserve has commenced red squirrel reintroduction and is beginning to identify potential release sites for any future Scottish wildcat kittens.
Wildlife - TENT
Further to the news of the European moose, this piece was lifted from today's edition of the RZSS blog:
Still up at the Highland Wildlife Park, the team there have been assisting the Alladale Estate rehome all four of their European elk as well as developing a national plan for the species that will help to establish further unrelated groups within the UK, including at least three new holders for the species.
Still up at the Highland Wildlife Park, the team there have been assisting the Alladale Estate rehome all four of their European elk as well as developing a national plan for the species that will help to establish further unrelated groups within the UK, including at least three new holders for the species.