Report from Chris Smith

Fancy seeing this on a trip to the hills?

By Stephanie Todd in the Edinburgh Evening News, 8th December 2000

Environmentalists are calling for wild wolves to be released into the Pentland Hills - to help control foxes.

They claim Scotland is ready for the reintroduction of many large animals that were wiped out centuries ago.

Wolves, bears, beavers, lynx, elk, wild boar and even bison, which died out in Britain during the Roman conquest, should all make a comeback in order to restore the "soul of the landscape".

The environmentalists said if fox-hunting was banned, wolves would be a natural way of controlling LothianŐs booming fox population.

But Scottish Natural Heritage, which provides funding towards the running of Pentlands Regional Park, said that while reintroducing wolves might be "a nice ecological idea", it was not realistic.

A spokesman said it had faced "hurdles and opposition" over its plans to bring back beavers, which are vegetarian.

But Caroline Hoffmann, of the Centre for Human Ecology, backed the idea of wolves and other animals being reintroduced.

"The Pentlands would be perfect for wolves. These animals were a part of the countryside before we came along and wiped them out. I donŐt see why they shouldnŐt return," she said.

"There are other areas that would provide the perfect habitat for missing species. Duddingston Loch, for example, would make a great home for beavers, which are being successfully reintroduced at the moment. People are always surprised when wolves are mentioned, but they are not really vicious animals.

"Contrary to popular belief, sheep are not the main food of wolves as they live off smaller animals like rabbits, foxes and ferrets.

"Farmers in the Pentlands would have nothing to worry about, their flocks would be perfectly safe."

Ms Hoffmann, a trained ecologist, said that fears about wolves being a threat to people were unfounded.

"Wolves are shy and would much rather avoid humans, there would be no danger to people at all," she said.

Peter Clarke, director of The Wild Beasts, a campaign to bring back mammals extinct in Scotland, believes the "soul of the landscape" is poorer because of the missing species.

He said: "There are strong conservation arguments for reintroducing native species.

"But I think it is more a matter of the soul of the landscape. There would be more romance to the hills if there was something to see bigger than a squirrel."

He added: "The wolf is an animal we would like to see re-introduced, but it is the most likely to spark animosity.

"The only time a wolf would be a threat to a human is if a mother was cornered with her children ."

Ms Hoffmann even called for bison to be re-introduced to the Pentlands. She said: "We are backing the call to reintroduce more animals - wild boar and even bison would be other perfect examples of what we are looking at. They were a part of Scotland before, why not now?"

The last Scottish bison is thought to have been speared to death during the Roman occupation.

Bison skeletons have been found and some inscriptions on Pictish stones, normally described as bulls, may be representations of bison .

Wild animals have already proved they can survive in ScotlandŐs habitat. Pumba the boar coped for six months on the run in the countryside after escaping from Hedderwick Hill Farm, near Dunbar. He was eventually shot by a police marksman.

But Scottish Natural Heritage played down the prospect of bringing back wolves.

Spokesman George Anderson said: "We donŐt have any plans to look at the re-introduction of wolves into Scotland and never have had.

"It may be a nice ecological idea but it is not a realistic prospect. I cannot imagine there being public support for this idea.

"There may have been wolves in the Pentlands hundreds of years ago, but the area has changed a lot since then.

"For a start there were no roads. Any wolves there now would probably get killed on the bypass.

"The only animal we are looking at bringing back is the beaver and we are hoping to apply to the Government to reintroduce them for a trial at the turn of the year.

"The hurdles and opposition we have faced for the beaver, which is a vegetarian, would not even compare to what we would have for a large carnivore like a wolf.