7 Animals That Will Transform the UK

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[@paulstott5130]

In Spain they worked with Farmers to live with the wolf , they provided them with something akin to Kangal Shepherd dogs and dogs pretty much stopped any predation from the wolf altogether on their livestock also loved being part of the flock. win win :)

[@LeaveCurious]

I'd love to know where exactly and look at these case studies. There is of course the right to roam in Scotland - people walk with their dogs, so perhaps guardian dogs could cause problems, but it certainly should be explored as an option. Thanks Paul

[@paulstott5130]

@@LeaveCurious thnx for replying - i have looked and althoug i cant find the original documetary (it was very interesting like 30 mins long) this is the simlar sort of programme kzbin.info/www/bejne/pnrRq4qKg9OWqq8

[@BigJFindAWay]

Kangals will keep away bears too. They can't kill the bears but sure can harass them so much as to chase them off.

[@myboulderingjourney9375]

Livestock guardian breeds are the way forward. There’s also less terrifying breeds to people than the kangal that work wonders like the maremma, Spanish mastiff and Pyrenean. The Masai tribe got given Anatolian shepherds to protect their goats from cheetah and leopard attacks and have had a 100% success rate and therefore saving the big cats from being killed off. I say bring wolves and bears back along with lynx

[@andreinarangel6227]

No need for some "Kangal" dog, whatever that is. In Spain, my grandparents kept the wolves & wild dogs away from our land with just a couple of good, well-trained Spanish hunting dogs (Perdigueros), an aggressive donkey, and a well-loaded shotgun.

[@Reynardine_]

I personally think an underrated animal for rewilding is the British Primitve Goat. There are less than 1,200 individuals left in the uk and don't tend to gather that much traction. However they have the ability to eat gorse and long grasses which are incredibly flammable. This animal however can only be found in a few sights, e.g. Isle of Wight, Valley of the rocks, the Cheviots, and dotted around Northern Scotland. They were also brought over in the neolithic period, making them more native than Brown hares, European Rabbits, and Fallow deer.

[@LeaveCurious]

This is a great shout!

[@Maverick1.]

@@LeaveCurious I just wanna say that these are fantastic videos you are making and it's really intersting seeing all of the wildlife in the UK.

[@learnbiology2023]

There are wild goats in North Wales too...... I am not sure of the species though? Mostly around Llandudno and Llanberis

[@Eggyfart83]

There's loads of wild goats in South West Scotland in the Galloway/ Ayrshire hills

[@mr.d00m37]

Goats are very destructive to an ecosystem to which they are not native. Don't think that's a good idea. They just sound like feral goats

[@peterdollins3610]

In Albania 1993 I came out of a small Church--newly painted as Albania was a strict Athiest State before this--to find a young boy of 8/9 with a dog. But such a dog, way taller than the boy. I backed the boy said 'He's safe.' I noticed this dog had a steel collar with spikes pointing outwards around the neck. 'Why the spikes?" i asked. 'This dog kills wolves,' said the boy. "When they come down from the mountains i winter. The collar & spikes stop the wolves tearing out his throat. As long as he has that he can kill a dozen wolves.' 'I believe you,' I said. Albania has a great variety of wild life for anyone interested. Bears too.

[@johnlochness]

I lived in the highlands of Scotland for a many years and while it’s beautiful, much of it is baron due to overpopulation of deer. The Highlands has got to be a prime site for the reintroduction of an apex predator.

[@LeaveCurious]

It is indeed, hopefully the Lynx isn't too far away.

[@coondogsoutdooradventures2484]

Can't they be hunted ? Is the game comitioner incompetent? Are domestic animals part of the over grazing problem? I'm in the US. Hunters kept the populations healthy before Wolves.

[@grimnir8872]

@@coondogsoutdooradventures2484 Hunting in the UK has basically been made a taboo, despite it being one of the most effective ways to curb populations and in fact, reintroducing hunting alongside both Wolf, Lynx and Bison would make them all go in equal balance. You can't introduce wolves without hunting seasons, if only for Wolves to be scared by Deer hunters and learn to avoid human settlement.

[@johnmccormick3608]

@@coondogsoutdooradventures2484 Only toffs are allowed to hunt deer here, despite there being far too many of them. Perish the thought they would allow the common people the right to hunt in the playgrounds of the wealthy.

[@petemulhearn7787]

@@johnmccormick3608 You obviously know sod all about deer management. I hunt deer in England with a local gamekeeper to try to manage the population on local farms. I live on gov pension and the keeper is certainly no toff. You need to broaden your information sources.

[@markosullivan6444]

Excellent video. I too would like to see the lynx back in Britain. I find it really sad that we're talking about the reintroduction of the water vole as when I was growing up these were common and should not have suffered such population reduction (but we know why they have).

[@LeaveCurious]

Yes, i hope the voles can recover, look out for the Mossy Earth video!

[@frowner_and_co]

I had a water vole in my backyard but it had to be moved to a more suitable environment because it was ripping up stuff in the shed and was becoming pretty skinny

Water voles were mainly wiped out by mink which are fortunately on the decline now thanks to the increasing otter population.

[@Peteruspl]

In Poland we're dealing with wolves and bears pretty much OK. You will get occasional story about farmers fuming over killed farm animals, but they get compensated for losses so this is mostly mitigated. They are not compensated if animal was outside untended after night fall so it's not like they can have sheep sleeping on edge of forest and blame wolves. You should start as soon as possible though, Poland is now at about 2k wolves and 100 bears and we've got deer and boar in hundreds of thousands. Game animals are still in vast majority controlled by human hunters and not by predators. If you start with some small pilot program and then reintroduce them gradually, it will take decades until they have population big enough to make significant impact. In Poland they can migrate East where there are also bigger populations. They also migrate West. Since 2000 they started gaining a foothold in Germany. UK will have full control, so you will have to make a decision and then its up to you to bring sustainable numbers. If they are too few and you need to introduce more DNA variety a poor wolf looking for a mate would need to be tranqed and airlifted over the channel. I strongly agree that you'll probably have much easier time with Lynxes. There's less prejudice and fear and if you have them for a while it may change view on other predators. Poland is now actively working to reintroduce them (since 2010) and there's about 200 lynxes in the country. There was very small surviving population and programs to actively let more free. Also some migration from East, South and North-East where there are small but re-growing populations.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yeah you're right, starting small, but starting now is very important. UK can learn a lot from europe about managing predators. Cheers!

[@broccanmacronain457]

good luck with your boar populations, they are a plague to the southern US.

[@woahhestolethatguyspizza8429]

i love these videos because a lot of rewiliding people (including myself in the past) often get too passionate and a re unable to reason with other views of why to not rewild certain animals. But in these videos both sides are given although you are in favour of rewilding i really respect that. Keep up the good work 👍

[@LeaveCurious]

Yes, I'm all for it, but I want these videos to reach as many people as possible, so must be diplomatic but also show what's possible.

[@Blackburnian737]

Cool to hear about these projects!. I'm American and studied in Edinburgh for a semester last year. The UK has lots of beautiful landscapes but I definitely noticed the lack of wild animals/landscapes in some of them- even though I;m from the pretty human altered midwest! made me understand better why rewilding is such a big topic there among Enviro groups. Made me appreciate some of the things we take for granted here

[@hunterhq295]

Seeing channels like this alongide Leaf of life or mossy earth gives me hope on restoration.

[@LeaveCurious]

I'm working a little more closely with Mossy Earth too!

[@hunterhq295]

@@LeaveCurious Glad to hear about environmental collaborations

[@Gavthered1980]

I’m going to make a bit of a mad suggestion but I think it’s got potential. We’re working from a completely blank canvas when it comes to the introduction of a top predator to the uk - it has to be capable of hunting red deer in open habitat while simultaneously not causing too much of a panic to members of the public the way wolves might do. I also think that there’s a need for protecting or giving a home to species that are threatened globally with extinction. So for that reason I think the introduction of cheetahs to the uk would be a fantastic way to not only safeguard their future but also improve our ecosystem. I also think that introducing the lynx as a forest dwelling cat alongside the cheetah that hunts in more open environments would provide a good balance. Lastly, although cheetahs look like they’d freeze to death at the first sign of a thick frost, they can quickly adapt to harsher environments and have been known to live in very cold climates.

[@Gavthered1980]

I’d also like to add that Cheetah were once a native species across Europe and North America, so the European cheetah would’ve lived on the land that became mainland Britain up until around 10,000 years ago. It’s not known what caused their disappearance but it was likely due to pressures from the numerous apex predators that were around at the time, including humans.

[@Maddie_Madds]

Many might say that's Cheet-ing 😅 bad one I know. But the issue is can you imagine the outcries of the Karens over such a 'dangerous' animal lol.

[@eastoneone4015]

That’s an interesting suggestion, would need to look into the success rates of cheetah in hunting larger animals like deer because from what ive heard theyre not that great, but like you say that may be to do with the presence of other apex predators in the savannah

[@gaius_enceladus]

Apparently there used to be *moose* in Britain! I'd love to see them reintroduced but you'd need lots of forest first.

[@TacticalCaveman997]

100% need lynx, beavers, pine Martin, and bison !

[@LeaveCurious]

yes yes yes and yes

[@littlenick2559]

It seems that the main conflict with beavers is the loss of agricultural land. With this in mind why not have large scale reintroduction into our national parks where there is little farm land? No only would this help revive the ecology but also draw in tourism and improve water retention and down stream flooding where applicable. Where I live (in the New Forest) there has been some admirable work done to restore once canalized rivers, I can't help feel that a bunch of beavers would be a cheaper alternative?

[@LeaveCurious]

Our national parks certainly need to be wilder. At the minute, although less than o else were, agriculture is still quite a big influence within them. What proportion is arable or pasture I don’t know…. But beavers would certainly do a better job than humans ever could at creating nature

[@cameronjones8641]

I live in Portsmouth and I would love to think that a beaver population was just down the road.

[@jamesblackwell2067]

i really like this rewilding idea

[@bernardfinucane2061]

I live in a densely populated area of Germany and we have lots of pine martins.

[@alanwayte432]

Lynx would be fantastic for deer control

[@LeaveCurious]

I like to think so - they'd sure have a impact locally, but I don't know exactly if they'd be the answer.

[@vanzikky]

I agree with you that predators are very important for a balanced eco system. Here in New Zealand, natural predators, and browsers, have gone extinct several hundred years ago due to human interaction and overhunting. And now - the government is pushing for 'predator free New Zealand' to create a habitat that never existed here. Total folly, but the population is going along with it. I guess it will be another several hundred years until people here realize that it's not their job to tame and subjugate and constantly transform nature..it's pretty capable to find a balance by itself when you just stop the constant meddling!

[@roderickjoyce6716]

Exmoor ponies are not the only semi-wild ponies in the UK; there are Welsh mountain ponies in the Brecon Beacons and North-East Wales.

[@broccanmacronain457]

Are there some in Ireland as well?

[@PaulCoxC]

Good ordering of them, and agree with Lynx being number 1. Although I do have a soft spot for Pine Martins and the help they provide Red Squirrels - I'd love to see more of them back!

[@philiptaylor7902]

I saw my first ever pine marten whilst on holiday in Scotland this year - on the patio of the b&b in a small town on the west coast. Amazing and so unexpected, the absolute highlight of the trip.

[@LeaveCurious]

Thank you Paul!

[@antonioveritas]

Darwin will be pleased...he was always looking for the missing Lynx!

[@sterkar99]

1:12 ah yes I would love to see the T-Rex come back to Britain

[@LeaveCurious]

well, i guess they're apex predators

[@alanmacdonald88]

Or the most feared predator of all... Jimmy Savile

[@iceninja46]

Scotland has the Scottish Wildcat and the capercaillie which are both protected. I would assume the Lynx would be too much of a threat to the capercaillie...

[@aye3678]

You're spot on. Bison's are truly majestic.

[@LeaveCurious]

Seeing one in the wild would captivate me!

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

I come from around halfway between Aberdeen and Inverness and we have plenty of pine martens, we could do with a predator to cut back deer numbers because, at the moment you have to employ a deer stalker to protect your trees, I think a wolf or lynx would be perfect!

[@LeaveCurious]

Lynx would be interesting to control deer, it wouldn't be as effective as wolves, BUT its a start to warming us around to living with large predators again.

[@hughfranklin3072]

I would love to see the Wolf, Bear and Lynx reintroduced to the UK. But realistically I think we might get the Lynx if we are lucky.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yeah and I think we’ll see the Lynx!

[@jase123111]

I am terrified of bears, unless they are the smaller back bears. Brown bears will get you bo matter how fast you run, swim or even climb. I don't want them close to where humans live. Idiots will be feeding them, which makes them more dangerous associating us with food. All the others animals I am fine with though.

[@alexecristian937]

@@jase123111 bears are a definite no no. Wolfs can be deadly too, they hunt in packs. A pack of dogs can kill you. Imagine what a pack of wolfs can do. I wouldn't feel safe when hiking in nature with big predators around. Always in stress.

[@Mkvs68]

@@alexecristian937 that's real life

[@sluwushi]

​@Alexe Cristian You aren't a wolf's prey, it's very unlikely they'd go for you, regardless of pack numbers

[@simonbarrow479]

Agreed with lynx as number 1. It would be great to have them back. And all of the other species too! If you’re going to do a video on wolves I just found out through Rewilding Apennines that Italy has over 3000 wolves and it seems pretty ok with that. Be interesting to see if lessons can be learnt.

[@LeaveCurious]

Ah thank you Simon, I am looking to Europe to learn about what’s working there, cheers!

[@roderickjoyce6716]

Italy has bears, too.

[@Thebritsonthatsmoke]

It amazing to see how far we come with rewinding

[@LeaveCurious]

Its a solution to many problems if we embrace it

[@Thebritsonthatsmoke]

@@LeaveCurious are there any sites you would recommend on rewilding just so I could learn some more information if so thanks 🙏

[@retireorbust]

Another good topic would be critical insects. I saw many more lightning bugs and lady bugs when I was a kid. Beavers are critical. Like the lynx and bison as well.

[@hans-martinadorf3834]

Your videos are so lively and capturing. I wish I could produce something like those for Germany.

[@anniehosking2408]

Thank you for including Exmooor ponies! I'd love to see all your seven back in the UK. We really do need at least one top predator.

[@LeaveCurious]

No worries, I really should of done a top 10! Many species that I had to leave out.

[@philiptaylor7902]

We already have wild fell ponies in the Lake District and the Pennines and Welsh mountain ponies in Snowdonia, I guess they are doing a similar job to the Exmoors.

[@rogersmith8339]

There is already a top predator in the UK that benefits the economy and provides healthy meat for human consumption. I am one of those!

[@NATURALBEEKEEPERSCOLLECTIVE]

All Species of Squirrels are echo system engineers, Some naive people call them distructive, but on our Bee yard there are thousands of Hazel Conker Sweet Chestnut Maple Sycamore Oak and Beech saplings and young trees all planted by squirrels, must be at least 2 acres now that was just grass 20 years ago at the side of the woods. The trees are now so dense that you can get lost among them. Squirrels plant and maintain forests Period. If they kill the odd tree here and there it creates woodpecker habitat. Woodpeckers eat tree pests. Squirrels plant far more seeds nuts and fuits then they will ever need all planted at exactly the perfect depth for germination. Bees feed on masny flowers of trees that squirrels plant. Nature is awesome.

[@philliphartley4939]

I agree, I think the Lynx would be top of my list as well.

[@LeaveCurious]

Has to be right - although I do feel very strongly about the beaver though

[@seonaghjedlicka3570]

Have loads of pin Martins in cairngorm scotland. Hear the owls at night and down in woods there a huge badger home. Great there for them no roads near by to hit them. Wild cats are getting introduced in to the wild here too

[@jessonabike]

I was mugged by a group of Welsh mountain ponies. The ring leader stood in the road to stop cars, then the rest of the group sprang from unsee dips to lick the windows of vehicles and demand treats.

[@Timmie1995]

The Netherlands was not ready for wolves, but the wolves didn't care. They're here now, and we are forced (fortunately) to find a way. Just plop them down as if you're not on an island :)

[@LeaveCurious]

Wolves would be in the UK if it wasn't for the channel, or at least, they try and be here.

[@Timmie1995]

@@LeaveCurious Ueah, the Channel gives your government a choice, we didn't really have one. Except if we were to shoot them all, but that would be awful.

[@feralbluee]

Yea! very happy to hear that the adorable European red squirrel 🐿️🐿️ is increasing due to the reintroduction of the pine martens. like to know why though??

[@enternalinferno]

Amazing quality and knowledge distributed, well done!

[@LeaveCurious]

Thank you! I appreciate this a lot :)

[@WildlifeWithCookie]

bring back the lynx!

[@LeaveCurious]

BBL - every day we get closer

[@solarpunkalana]

Great video Rob, obviously I'm partial to the water voles ;)

[@LeaveCurious]

Of course Alana! Had to have them on the list :)

[@austenpowers]

Great vid man 👍 Looking forward to the steps for wolves vid

[@LeaveCurious]

Cheers man, yes, I’m working on making that video a gooden 👍

[@arkprice79]

Have any of these animals been reintroduced into the UK yet

[@bradley4706]

I’ve read that the reintroduction of the lynx in Europe has seen extremely limited death of live stock. If that’s the case I don’t think it would be costly to the tax payer pay farmers for each sheep or chicken killed by a lynx. Up to £1000 per sheep. I’m sure there are other costs that come into play but I think there are ways to reassure farmers, whose worries are definitely valid.

[@bradley4706]

Mainland Europe I should say.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Rob I love these videos, keep them coming!

[@LeaveCurious]

Thanks Philip, I'm working on it!

[@ericwilson8867]

Sounds like there’s a lot of cool upcoming videos. Gonna have to be in the lookout

[@LeaveCurious]

Ah yep, I’m working on it! Next one will be beavers in Devon!

[@markg3025]

Well done Robb enjoyable and very informative.

[@LeaveCurious]

Cheers Mark, appreciate it!

[@markg3025]

@@LeaveCurious BTW I agree rewilding a top predator in the U K should be a Lynx and not a Timber Wolf. Maybe over a period of time the population will be ready for the wolf?

[@eastoneone4015]

Im actually doing an EPQ on rewilding projects, and as part of it im looking at the reintroduction of species. From the data ive seen, the lynx actually provides minimal threat of predation to livestock, they much prefer wild animals such as deer. There was a study that looked at kill rates of lynx populations across countries in Europe which found they rarely kill more than 200 sheep across up to 5 year periods. Definitely should be brought back to the UK

[@ducky5767]

Thanks for the video 👍🏻

[@LeaveCurious]

You're welcome, pleased you enjoyed it

[@charlottescott7150]

Great video thank you

[@allthingsmotorized1885]

honestly a very interesting video coming from a farmer and a hunter, i do alot of management of deer, foxes, rabbits and birds. in essence my rifle replaces what lynx and wolves would've done. currently managing the population of all these animals is a mammoth task.

[@thunderlike84]

In Germany the bison, the wolf, the beaver and the lynx are already back 💪

[@raphlvlogs271]

the wolf and the lynx both play a very similar rule in the eco system

[@LeaveCurious]

They do indeed, which is your favourite?

[@jermainedification]

Yes look at yellowstone where they bought back the wolves

[@MikeF66]

There is an article that state’s a pack of 6 individual wolfs were released into the highlands 4-6months ago.

[@LeaveCurious]

Really? link me?

[@stuartbarker9373]

For me, beavers and pine martens are absolute no-brainers. Both have multiple benefits and very manageable downsides. Wolves and lynxes have very similar benefits but quite challenging obstacles. Exmoor ponies and bison also double up in terms of approaches needed. I note that bears didn't make the list. I'd have thought the upsides and downsides of reintroducing bears would be similar to those of wolves and lynx, although perhaps the direct threat to humans is greater.

[@larrybaker9924]

When i was much younger, i was always in search of wild Beavers.

[@LeaveCurious]

Did you find any or signs?

[@kellmurphy1344]

Great channel!!

[@LeaveCurious]

Thank you!

[@christinecollins6389]

Very informative video

[@carelgoodheir692]

I think the initial introduction of wolves might be better done northwest of the Great Glen rather than in the Cairngorms. A pack expects to have a territory that borders neighbouring packs. A pack west of Cannich say could meet what it thinks are neighbouring packs each time it approaches the boundaries that people want them kept inside. That 'neighbouring pack' could be a 'wolf warden' with a few lage dogs. The warden could know where the wolf pack was at any one time if a few of the senior wolves were radio collared. The warden's wages would be repaid by not having to pay to plant and fence 'new native forest' - the government has been paying a lot towards this. The wolves would keep the deer on the move, cull those growing old and stiff and allow forest to spread itself. Huge numbers of red deer have turned much of the Scottish Highlands into a soggy, treeless, wet desert. (BTW, red deer get called 'elk' in the US - 'elk' is the UK name for what Americans call moose)

[@tardismole]

There are many other animals that could have made this list. Primitive goat, for instance. They are an essential part of the grazing chain. It would be impossible to replace the Caledonian bear and the houting, but I think people are largely more open to rewilding than they were fifty years ago. Here in Wales, they have recently reintroduced the wildcat. Not our native subspecies, but the closet one; the Scottish wildcat. And while we are making progress helping our native wildlife, I think more should, in fact must, be done to eradicate non-native species, especially the grey squirrel and the rainbow trout (except in fishing ponds).

[@pipertripp]

T-rex would be a pretty cool addition. Might make East Anglia seem more exciting.

[@WildlifeSpotlight]

Waterfalls and Links we all need them

[@James84800]

Very informative, I never knew the uk used to have native lynx

[@AsherSkylark]

1:12 nice species you got there mate

[@elliotlane3225]

Totally agree. Lynx is the UKs best option for an apex predator. As for sheep farming losses that probably needs to be discussed alongside how to manage overgrazing and farming subsidies in general. Odd how much objection there is to reintroducing native species given so many of our current countryside animals are non-native; pheasants and many game birds, several deer species, mink and grey squirrels to name a few.

[@ThatTallGuy0]

If they did rewild some of the more ‘dangerous’ animals, surely they would allow people to bring some sort of Defensive weapons when going out into nature

[@Lexavarela]

The random T Rex in the b roll lol

[@DavisXero]

If lynx are an issue with farmers, you could always try American Bobcats; they’ve been known to go after small livestock and unguarded pets, but they are also smaller and less likely to take out a sheep or seriously injure someone’s child. They like to keep to themselves too but can be VERY aggressive if they feel threatened.

[@_MikeJon_]

Bison are definitely dangerous and it doesn't take prolonged irritation, but they're still very neccessary.

[@stevenkeller3047]

I like you have a great list. Good luck getting the job done.

[@julieswinburne1270]

The role of livestock guardian dogs should not be underestimated. They are used widely, and successfully, in Spain and other European countries, enabling wolves and bears to coexist beside farmers. Plus they were wonderful dogs. I had a Spanish Mastin.

[@chrismccartney8668]

Lynx best control is Guardian dogs they keep foxes away and don't tolerate gone feral domestic dogs, for big herbivores agree bison but feel that the English longhorn cattle are a good start, tough docile free range don't need antibiotics or special foods to survive, they do wonderful job here in Epping Forest near to London in keeping down unwanted growth, and as used on Knepp Estate can be a commercial herd as well..

[@LeaveCurious]

Yep long-horns very nearly made my list, brilliant creatures.

[@mortalclown3812]

Bravo especially for the wolves, Rob. 💫🐾💪 Too bad that people continue to eat so much meat tbh. It affects the entire planet: it's particularly ironic when some folks go on about wildlife without taking their own consumption into consideration. Thanks for the great info.

[@HavNCDy]

You need lions and unicorns reintroduced so your coat of arms finally make sense 🙃

[@LeaveCurious]

Haha, do you know where we can source unicorns?

[@jammiedodger7040]

Really you need the Lynx and Wolf to be introduced at the same time so they Control each other’s populations

[@LeaveCurious]

Very good point. I’d interested to know more about their relationship

[@ilfaitfroid9739]

Reintroducing wolves to wild areas in the US has completely changed the landscape for the better. It happens quickly. Ranchers are compensated for any loss of stock animals. Some ranchers have learned to live with the wolves and have changed their practices. Others would still prefer to have no wolves, unfortunately (you can guess who has the loudest voice)

[@anne-mettevansteenacker4739]

We have wolfs in Denmark to, i the part nomed Jylland

[@mamamoo3974]

Brilliant video again

[@LeaveCurious]

thank you!

[@Dovietail]

Here in America, there are higher deer numbers than when the pilgrims landed! They starve, destroy crucial habitats and property, and endanger motorists. Apex predators MUST be reintroduced and protected everywhere. GO TEAM LYNX, Britain!!!

[@pauldurkee4764]

I think the lynx is a great choice as they will avoid humans and happily live off the deer population. In Wales we have far too many sheep which are smothering regeneration of natural flora. Pine Martens are wonderful, and will help to reduce the enormous Grey Squirrel population, while at the same time this will help native bird species. I think water voles are more problematic, until we can think about getting rid of mink.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yep exactly and I managing mink is essential for those voles

[@roderickjoyce6716]

Mink fill a similar ecological niche to otters. Where there were no otters thanks to human persecution, escaped mink could move in. But the otter has made a spectacular recovery and has recolonised every county in England and Wales in the last few decades. Otters are bigger and smarter than mink and out-compete them; so mink are probably going to be less of a problem in the future.

[@Jukithecrack]

I would love to see all of them coming back to the UK. Especially the lynx. However, the biggest issue at the moment might be that the woodland habitats are still too small and too fragmented for viable lynx populations. But with increased efforts to reforest and restore those needed habitats I see a good chance in near future. Fingers crossed

[@shadowmaster9635]

Totally agree with pine martens being reintroduced to combat the grey squirrel, and the pox / disease ,they can carry .Seemingly , ineffectual to them,but has decimated the red squirrel population ,that a predator such as the marten,is possibly the best control method, to deal with them.I know of red conservation projects, and though their work is superb!, the poor red squirrel must live,in isolated controlled areas.If martens,are reestablished in uk,their odds of surviving extinction are rising.

[@LeaveCurious]

Nice, interesting info about the pox

[@shadowmaster9635]

@@LeaveCurious The good news is,that despite the Pine Martens ability as a predator,they are not noted for aggressively pursuing red squirrels as a food source. According to studies?..

[@nevephillips2286]

it would be really great to have the citations for the statistics in the description!d

[@LeaveCurious]

I've made note of this for future videos!

[@foxdylan9536]

Thanks, informative, they reintroduced wolves in Germany and it’s mostly pretty good

[@31Blaize]

Agree wholeheartedly with 1 and 2, but I think I'd bump wolves down to the bottom simply because of the human barriers in the way. Totally agree we need apex predators back but the wolf sadly has a bad (mostly undeserved) rep :(

[@LeaveCurious]

Oh yeah 1 & 2 picked themselves - it was much harder to pick the rest, could of gone with many more. On wolves, I think we can dispel the myths. The Lynx will help, but we have along way to go.

[@31Blaize]

@@LeaveCurious Good shout on the pine martens though, lovely lil critters! :D

[@shawnohagan5503]

Great video

[@LeaveCurious]

Cheers mate! 🌿

[@lisaknight4549]

I voted water voles as was concerned that yet another largish grazer without predators to encourage them to keep moving on could be problematic. Glad to learn that ponies more selective grazers.

[@LeaveCurious]

Oh yeah I had to include both!

[@SeanBainbridge-ky1mw]

Guardian Dogs are the best idea for sheep flock's

[@Louisianabayou]

Another way livestock could be protected (and I believe if large-scale rewilding were to happen this would be an inevitable step) is a diversification of land use in the countryside. Instead of a farmer looking after one or several large herds they may only look after one smaller herd but they stay with it the whole day, only taking their eyes off it at night to sleep. It would end up being more historical. Although with the help of another farmer and a livestock protection dog of some sort a larger herd could probably be kept. There are many modern technologies even that would help out the process so it wouldn't completely just be going backwards in time. Personally I think that the best two things to show people how rewinding would work are: looking at other countries around the world to see how they deal with it and looking into the past of our own country as the same land cows graze now they have been for centuries.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yes, have you looked into regenerative grazing? Concentrating herds of animals to smaller confined areas where they graze intensely for shorter periods before being moved on to another. This has so many benefits for all. This is a practice that works. It was practiced in the past.

[@SeanBainbridge-ky1mw]

Even the Bob cat would help with Deer herds

[@karlheinz4059]

we have lynx and wolfs here in switzerland and from lynx i never heard of any problems. farmers mostly dont like wolfs but they get compensation if an animal gets killed

[@coondogsoutdooradventures2484]

Congregations on the Bison! a heads up on how the reintroduction has gone in the US and Canada. 1 The Lynx in the Adirondacks did not go well. They congregated close to roads where thier favorite pray ( snowshoe hairs ) habitat was. The brush they live in is mostly near roads . They completely went excellent again. 2) Wolves seemed like a great idea like you said. However, they really have been devastating to some species like mountain Caribou that may go extinct in BK. Also they have caused the bears to stop hibernating in Yellowstone because they are stealing easy meals from the Wolves. In the Adirondacks they could eliminate a fragile Moose population. They are coming back naturally and the Moose haven't had a chance to have a decent population yet.,they have eliminated small populations of Moose in Canada in the great lakes. In Montana , Minnesota and Michigan they have proving that predator population control is vital. There is not balance, but huge reduction in prey species. My advice to the UK would be . Bring in the prey species and let them be fully established. Then bring in predators like Wolves with strict control.

[@allisonguthrie8257]

The wolves that are killing the caribou in BC and AB weren’t a reintroduction, they never died out there. And the problem isn’t the wolves themselves, but the fact that we’ve logged, cleared, and criss-crossed with roads the formerly dense, almost-impassible massive ranges of old growth forests that the mountain caribou would use to hide from wolves and other predators. Our roads now lead wolves directly into caribou territory that used to be secluded and isolated. That’s why the balance between wolves and caribou got along just fine until the last century or two.

[@coondogsoutdooradventures2484]

@@allisonguthrie8257 agree with the roads. However, predator control is a must also.

[@r.carder9314]

Wow, I didn't realize there were that many deer ... I think about Yellow Stone National Park in the US ... When the species of wolves were wiped out the deer and Elk populations exploded... Until the wolves were reintroduced in the early 90s, be it Timberwolves who tend to be bigger then the species of wolves that were there before.. So in Yellowstone, you have now wolves, grizzlies and mountain lions keeping the deer and Elk populations in check ... I wonder what an American Timberwolf or mountain lion would do for the ecosystem in the UK?.. I would leave out grizzlies, I don't think they'd be enough space for those huge beast... But I think all three could control the out if control deer problem in the UK...

[@jonathanroberts-bj7yl]

What about Wild boar?

[@undertheradar4645]

thought i hallucinated that t rex for a sec lol

[@LeaveCurious]

lols

[@LucyKelly-of6cu]

I would love to have both the wolf and the lynx back! Put them up in Scotland, as you said, where they can control the deer numbers!

[@dannyblackwell2426]

love to have wolves back into the UK but wont happen. beavers and bison and lxyn would be great

[@patrickday4206]

Lynix are wonderful

[@katjordan3733]

What about the rumors that there are already Big Cats in the UK? Panthers, pumas and lynx are said to roam the land all ready. Are these cryptid creatures in any of the areas where your organization seeks to release the Lynx? Has anyone in your organization looked into this phenomena?

[@shanerichter3243]

Hi there. So I have been following you for a while. I’m born South African but now in Australia. SA has done some amazing conservation work and why your work really matters and interests me. I just have one question. What exact area do you think would be the best for lynx in the UK. I would love to know

[@LeaveCurious]

There was a study done to determine this and it found west scotland - the kintyre peninsula, this gave a good likely-hood of disperse into northern scotland. I personally feel any of our larger UK woodlands that have an abundance of natural prey.

[@SeanBainbridge-ky1mw]

The Stoat is already in England as I've seen them down buy are river bank and in the countryside a couple of times

[@Danzkaz]

What could people do to raise a voice for the introduction of lynx’s?

[@LeaveCurious]

Let me find out for you!