Sea eagles have had a revival, beavers are back, ancient cows could make a reappearance, and whales are being spotted all over the English coast. Next up on the UK’s roster of animal resurgences? Wolves... maybe.
A new study has suggested that reintroducing grey wolves to the Scottish Highlands could have a huge positive impact on its woodlands and Scotland’s efforts to achieve net-zero.
Researchers at Leeds University say that bringing back the creatures would keep red deer populations under control, meaning that the tree saplings they eat would be allowed to grow, forests could regenerate naturally and more carbon dioxide could be absorbed.
It’s thought that Scotland’s last wild wolves went extinct around 250 years ago, leaving red deer with no natural predators. The deer population has soared over the past 50 years and, because they munch on practically everything in their path, they’ve been a big bane in rewilding and net-zero efforts. Forestry England has even encouraged putting more wild venison on our dinner plates as a solution.
The new study reckons that 160 wolves would be enough to make a difference to the deer problem. But there are farmers and other members of rural communities who aren’t so keen on the idea – wolves are fierce apex predators after all.
At this point the study is just a recommendation. There are no official plans to start bringing wolves back to Scotland any time soon.
Lee Schofield, a co-author of the study, said: ‘Our aim is to provide new information to inform ongoing and future discussions about the possibility of wolf reintroductions both in the UK and elsewhere.
‘We recognise that substantial and wide-ranging stakeholder and public engagement would clearly be essential before any wolf reintroduction could be considered.
‘Human-wildlife conflicts involving carnivores are common and must be addressed through public policies that account for people’s attitudes for a reintroduction to be successful.’
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