The Threat to Managers

The spread of wild beavers in Scotland has been an issue of some concern for that sub-species of humanity the Managing Class, mostly farmers, gamekeepers and conservation managers. Simply they do not like anything to happen that is outside their control. And mammals are their prime target. Though certain birds are also regularly targeted – birds of prey and corvines. Deer are regularly cited as being a threat, foxes have always been given a bad name, badgers are condemned for supposedly being responsible for spreading disease and the list goes on. The fact is that they want to be always in control.

The situation was rather neatly put in a recent edition of Private Eye:

“Claiming to be dedicated to wildlife conservation is a constant refrain of farmer groups. In truth not many farmers are interested in bio-diversity unless the result can be put to flight by a dog and shot.”

The same can obviously be said of gamekeepers and The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and there is more than a little cross-fertilisation of positions into the conservation charities.

The beavers have now been reprieved by Scottish Natural Heritage the equivalent of N.E. Various vested interests are predictably annoyed because some of their fishing and angling activities may suffer. But wildlife brings its own rewards and as for economic impact could the anglers not put aside their rods and watch the genuine wildlife. The same is true of wild red deer around Blacka and Bigmoor. The managers do not know how to leave well alone. A few years ago they were still of the opinion that the deer were something of a threat so their itchy fingers would not prevent them shooting several of them.

In southern England there are now wild boar roaming in some parts and again there are calls for them to be controlled. Wild boar on Blacka would be interesting. Their scratching and digging would be likely to have an impact on the bracken areas. The original justification made for bringing cattle onto Blacka was that they would control bracken. That has not proved to be the case. It is the wild deer that spend time in the bracken and in places you can see their impact especially their tracks through the bracken. The only times I have seen cattle in bracken have been when they have followed routes created by deer. All goes to indicate that in land that has started to return to a more wild state wild animals are better suited than domestic ones.