It is no secret that since humans started stomping about the Earth, a lot of animals have disappeared from its face. This has meant the complete eradication of fauna such as the Dodo and the Passenger Pigeon. However, this has also meant more localised extinctions, including the British isles.
We have lost plenty of animals over the last 8,000 years due to over hunting and loss of habitat. However, conservationists look to reintroduce extinct animals back into the British wild. Today, we shall look into which animals have already made a comeback and who could join them in future.
Wolves and Lynx
It is likely that most people are aware that wolves roamed Britain, but most may be more surprised to know lynx did also. The lynx was commonly found in woodland and rocky mountain slope habitats and are a part of the cat family. Whilst evidence places them in Scotland 1,500 years ago, written literature suggests they could have lived into the 17th century.
Even with this optimistic estimation, wolves still outlasted the Lynx by a century. The reliance on wooded areas harmed the lynx’s chances, something the wolf was less affected by. The growth of human society diminished tolerance and space for these creatures.
As towns and villages expanded and livestock became more lucrative, these animals suffered. Taking this into account, it’s not that surprising that Britain’s largest predator is the badger. And even the badger is killed en mass yearly. The spread of bovine tuberculosis is linked to them, which mainly infects livestock such as cows. There are movements to end the cull and instead vaccinate the badger population.
Unfortunately, any plans to reintroduce these two are unlikely to happen anytime soon. As recently as last year, then UK environmental secretary, Thérèse Coffey downplayed the idea. Much of her reasoning was a carbon copy of why these animals became extinct in the first place. The possible impact on agriculture and livestock. We can point towards the legal lethal methods used to deal with wild Badgers who damage farms in Scotland to see possible tensions over lynx or wolf reintroduction.
Others within the nature community have also opposed the idea. Ray Mears, adventurer and broadcaster, worries about how their reintroduction would be handled. He references the poisoning of hen harrier and golden eagle and wolf reintroductions in Idaho and Sweden as warnings against the move.
Conservationists take a differing view. Due to years of farming and industrialisation, the UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. Reintroducing apex predators, as with other already successful projects, could improve and stabilise the natural environment. One pertinent issue lies with the wildly growing deer population, which we’ll talk more about shortly.
The main blockade is perception and competition. There is little pushback against reintroducing insects, birds and herbivores because they pose little threat to human productivity. The pool frog or pine marten are unlikely to eat a cow or sheep. Or cost more money to protect chickens needed for our consumption. Farmers question who will help keep up the cost for guard dogs, electric fences and the additional labour.
It would certainly be a major shift. Again, the largest predator in the last 300 years has been the badger. But with our natural world teetering on the brink, are hard choices and serious adaptation not required anyway?
Bears and Elk
Similar to the wolf, many will be aware that bears were once widespread over Britain. Folklore and the Disney Pixar movie Brave likely played a part in this. However, like the lynx, I’m sure less people knew elk also once roamed.
Unlike our last entries, it has been a long time since either of these great beasts were around. Elk likely died out over 3,000 years ago and even by optimistic estimates, Bears left us over 1,000 years ago. In the same sad story, they met their end partly down to overhunting by humans for their pelts, meat and antlers.
So why would we reintroduce animals that have been away for so long? Revisiting an earlier point, deer numbers are on the uptick in Britain. Experts point towards an ecological disaster if these numbers are allowed to continue to grow at their current rate. One solution is the reintroduction of the previously mentioned Wolves and Lynx alongside the Brown Bear.
Dr Chris Sandom, a biology lecturer at the University of Sussex, suggests that these predators can do more than kill directly. More natural predators create a landscape of fear, which in turn slows down the population growth of prey. Dr Sandom adds that prey being aware of apex predators will hinder effective foraging, reducing the most effective conditions for reproduction.
There has been a lot said so far about using the ferocity of predators to balance the ecosystem. So what about the herbivores?
Whilst there are no immediate plans to introduce wild Elk into the British ecosystem, breeding programmes have begun. The Wildlife Trust brought two Eurasian elk together in 2023 in the UK’s first breeding programme. Described as major ecosystem engineers, their diets of herbs, shrubs and bushes would help with natural regeneration. Whilst their size and range of migration could pose difficulties, they would likely be more accepted by the British public than previously mentioned predators.
Bison and Beavers
There are a growing number of successful reintroductions for the once extinct into Britain’s woods and wetlands. Bison and beavers are two such successes.
The bison, once rubbing shoulders with woolly rhinos and woolly mammoths, became extinct after global temperatures rose following the last ice age. Our big toothed buddies, the beavers lasted a lot longer, only dying out in the 16th century. Both have been, and continue to be, successfully brought back to excellent environmental results.
In 2022, bison were introduced to the wild Blean Woods outside Canterbury. Not only has their reintroduction helped assure the future of the species but also being a keystone species is huge for the ecosystem. Just by simply doing what nature intended them to do, bison benefit woodland in ways humans cannot. Machines of nature, as effective as ibuprofen for a headache.
In Derbyshire, beavers work as architects of a better, more nurturing ecosystem for other wildlife. Introduced to the Willington wetlands in 2021, just outside the village of Willington, the beaver family has successfully integrated and created offspring. The Derbyshire Wildlife Trust details how their natural activities of digging and damming has created a better environment for otters, water voles, kingfisher, egret and water shrews.
It is important to highlight these conservation victories. For one, it proves that other reintroduction efforts can better improve Britain’s natural landscape. Secondly, it gives hope that things aren’t as lost as they sometimes seem. Nature wants to recover, it is ready built to improve itself with the right help. As vegetation grows through pavement slabs, the environment is a tenacious beast. We just need to give it the help and respect it deserves.
Be Curious!
- A more in depth look at the reintroduction of beavers to the UK. To beaver or not to be, that is the question!
- How does reintroducing an animal missing for a millenia help our ecosystem now? The results may surprise you. Bison are just pretty cool.
- The book Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, released earlier this year by rewilding expert Derek Gow. If you don’t want to buy the whole book, read this interview about the book and the subject of rewilding wolves instead.
- If you’re interested in the legal side of animal reintroduction, you can read about what goes into the process on a government level.
- There are plenty of species of flora and fauna beyond what this feature has discussed that has already been reintroduced.
- The UK isn’t the only country reintroducing extinct species. The USA also has projects to bring back animals to help wildlife.
