Back from the brink
THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE
This flying barn-door of a bird with its eightfoot wingspan vanished from British skies in 1918, when the last one was shot in Shetland. 60 years later they were brought back to another Scottish island – Rum – and now you might spot them soaring along the western seaboard, notably over the Isles of Mull and Skye. It’s even longer since they were hunted out of England, last spotted at Culver Cliff on the Isle of Wight in 1780, but in 2019 six of the Scottish birds were moved south to the island. These raptors have long been persecuted as lamb-killers, although much of what they take is carrion, and research from Finland suggests they may help protect smaller wild animals by controlling the numbers of invasive American mink.
THE WILD BOAR
There was nothing official about the return of these bristly pigs to Britain and the 3000 now living wild either escaped from meat farms or were illegally released. Their current stronghold is the Forest of Dean, where they rootle the earth in search of bulbs, nuts and roots. Hunted to national extinction in the Middle Ages, they thrive by the million across continental Europe, but here in Britain they remain controversial. Some appreciate the return of a native animal that encourages biodiversity with its foraging; some worry about damage to farmland and car accidents.
On foot, they can be a thrilling, or daunting, encounter. Boars can stand over 30 inches at the shoulder and weigh over 200 pounds. Mostly shy, they can be aggressive to dogs and very protective of their piglets, also known as humbugs for their stripy markings.
THE GREY WOLF
This silver-furred apex predator isn’t back yet, but it’s long been talked about. The grey wolf has been absent from Britain since the 17th century, pursued for its pelt and demonised by myth. It is the world’s largest wild canine but mostly poses little risk to humans. America’s International Wolf Center found: ‘A person in wolf country has a greater chance of being killed by a dog, lightning, a bee sting or a car collision with a deer than being injured by a wolf.’ In fact, researchers at Yellowstone Park have discovered these deadly hunters bring life back to ecosystems. In areas with large deer populations the land can get grazed to a barren tundra, but wolves help control numbers; flora regenerates, and small mammals and birds return. It’s a thorny topic of course, especially for farmers concerned for their sheep, but wolves might one day return to our shores.