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Monday, 2 October 2023
Sunday, 1 October 2023
Zoological Society of London: State of Nature report -Waste of Time?
The British Fox Study's Fox Deaths Project contributed information (doubt we are credited!). This is all pretty grim since in the 1970s I started out when "protection and conservation" was kicking in and now look how we have progressed -250,000 badgers killed 'legally' under that so called 'protection' and masses of countryside and woodland destroyed to make a railway line that cost billions and now looks set to be cancelled.
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Billions of pounds filling the "right" pockets that could have been used to reversed the decline and loss of species and all we get is "there is still hope". Yeah -we wipe out the species we can always import more. It is an endless cycle of destruction and we will soon be hearing a pro-hunt, anti-environmental protection issue its statement about us "all working together" because that sounds good and they know 90% of the population could not give a crap.
The statement from the Zoological Society of London:
"Today marks the launch of the State of Nature report
This report is a gargantuan joint effort that represents the work of a great many experts, volunteers and organisations coming together. It's a critical accountability moment, bringing data together from over 60 research and conservation organisations to create the most comprehensive report of UK nature.
It's a 'health check' for UK nature - and the diagnosis is not good:
1 in 6 species in Great Britain are at risk of being lost forever Among the species at risk, hazel dormice, turtle doves and European eels now face uncertain futures British wildlife has declined by 19% since monitoring began in the 70'sBut hope is not lost - although the longer we take to take meaningful action, the harder it will be to reverse the ongoing decline.
When we join together, everything is possible - by putting nature at the heart of decision-making, we can build a better world for us now and our children in years to come.
This approach is vital to tackle climate change and help create a world where people and wildlife can thrive.
Don't miss our Director of Conservation, Dr. Andrew Terry, tonight on Channel 4 News
Find out more in the #StateOfNature Report https://bit.ly/stateofnature23"
Saturday, 30 September 2023
The Red Paper 2022 Volume II: Wild Cats, Ferals and New Native Species
In 1896 Scottish naturalists and zoologists declared that the true Scottish wild cat had become extinct by the 1860s. What we see today is nothing more than a wild tabby cat. In this work the true history and destruction of wild cats from England, Wales (where hybrids clung on into the 1940s) and Scotland is explored and after decades of research the true look of the wild cat is revealed. The "English Tiger" and "Highland Tiger" truly lived up to that name.
Dogma is finally thrown out.
There is also a look at the "New Native Cats" ranging from Asian Golden Cats, Lynx, Puma and others and the evidence leading to their being so designated. No silly press or media stories just solid facts backed up by evidence. The author acted as an exotic species wildlife consultant to UK police forces from 1977-2015 as well as cooperated with university projects on the subject.
Island cats as well as feral cats their lifestyles and problems mare also covered .
Fully referenced and including maps, illustrations and very rare photographs -some never before seen in print- make this a book for amateur naturalists and zoologists.
The Red Paper 2022 Volume I: Foxes, Jackals, Wolves, Coyotes and Wild Dogs of the United Kingdom and Ireland
When the Doggerland bridge flooded the British Isles became separated from
Continental Europe and its wildlife developed uniquely. The British Isles, for the purpose of this work includes Ireland, and isolated the wolves on both became what would be island species not affected by the usual island dwarfism. These wolves, after millennia. Became “unwanted” and forests and woodland was burnt down or cut down for the specific purpose of lupicide; the killing of every and any wolf –and there was a bounty for “a job well done”.
At the same time there also developed three unique island species of Old fox from the coyote-like Mountain or Greyhound fox, the slightly smaller but robustly built Mastiff or Bulldog fox and the smaller Common or Cur fox –the latter like today’s red foxes had a symbiotic relationship with humans.
These canids were mainly ignored until it was decided that they could provide fur and meat and those things earn money. From that point onward, especially after all other game had been killed off, the fox faced what writers over the centuries referred to as vulpicide –extermination through bounties paid, trapping or hunting and despite all the hunters noting that the Old foxes were nearing extinction they continued to hunt until by the late 1880s the Old were gone and replaced by the New –foxes imported by the thousands every year for the ‘sport’ of fox hunting and this importation also led the the UK seeing the appearance of mange (unknown before the importations).
The travelling British sportsmen went coyote, wolf and jackal hunting and on returning to England wanted to bring a taste of this to “the good old country”. Wolves, jackals and coyotes were set up in hunting territories from where they could learn the lay of the land and provide good sport later. Some hunts even attempted to cross-breed foxes, jackals and Coyotes.
Then there were the legendary –almost mythical– “beasts”; the black beast of Edale, the killer canids of Cavan and the “girt dog” of Ennerdale.
In more recent times raccoon dogs and arctic foxes have appeared in the UK; some released for ‘sport’ while others are exotic escapees long since established in the countryside.
If you thought you knew what fox hunting was about prepare to be woken up by a sharp slap to the face and the reality that, by admissions of hunts themselves, this was all about fun and sport and nothing to do with “pest control”.
The Current Threat To UK Fauna And The Introduction Of New Fauna Species -a look inside
In the United Kingdom new species of fauna have been introduced since Roman times and the number of species released or escaping into the countryside since 1900 has steadily increased. New species are filling in niches left by species extirpated by humans and these new species have, after 40+ years of observation created no problems.
Despite this the official policy of the UK Government and the Department for Environment Farming and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is to class such species "invasive" and trap and kill them as the opportunity arises.
This paper suggests that DEFRA needs to reassess its stance since it is impossible to exterminate all established "invasive species" -the New fauna now closely tied to the Old fauna,
The "Girt Dog" of Ennerdale
A4
B&W
42pp
Illustrated
£10.00
https://www.lulu.com/en/en/shop/terry-hooper-scharf/the-girt-dog-of-ennerdale/paperback/product-1dzqgy79.html
Over 200 years ago, in 1810, sheep were being killed in the Ennerdale area of Cumbria.
The sheep were allegedly hardly eaten yet their blood had been drained and the killer responsible thwarted the efforts of organised hunts and terrified hounds. What was the “Girt Dog” of Ennerdale?
Many theories abound from a paranormal creature called a “Mauler” to an escaped hyena , Tiger or even a Thylacine. Perhaps an unknown species of native British big cat?
The truth of what the “Girt Dog” was lies within the original accounts of the time. Documents that modern writers appear to have never consulted. Noted British naturalist Terry Hooper-Scharf assesses the evidence.
Did The Lynx Survive Until The 18th Century In The UK?
£11.00
For many the lynx (Lynx lynx) died out during the last ice age in Britain. However, the historical evidence shows that it continued until hunted to extinction during the Medieval period.
Over recent years many have claimed that the lynx in fact survived up to the 18th century -some state it survived later than that.
In this publication naturalist Terry Hooper-Scharf assesses the evidence and points to reports and other factors not widely known to draw a definitive conclusion on the subject
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