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Escaped mammals in Britain (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter John Dixon
- Start date
John Dixon said:
:news: Several sightings of a Tiger reported in North Yorkshire this week!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/north_yorkshire/5108850.stm
Keep your eyes peeled :eek!:
jurek
Well-known member
Surely it is the result of climate change. 
With unprecedented heat and sun, people begin to see wildlife not previously recorded in the country. For example, tigers.
You guess right why I write this. Naturally, I am jealous. I am poor sod avoided by all interesting things. Never seen a flying saucer, unknown big cat, not to mention a headless rider.
With unprecedented heat and sun, people begin to see wildlife not previously recorded in the country. For example, tigers.
You guess right why I write this. Naturally, I am jealous. I am poor sod avoided by all interesting things. Never seen a flying saucer, unknown big cat, not to mention a headless rider.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
I had to laugh when I saw this on the BBC website. Big cats and wallabies are one thing, but Pandas??!!??
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5353882.stm
I can only hope that they were supposed to be red pandas and the BBC has simply been creative with its choice of photograph.
Having said that, there is a patch of bamboo by the river near my house!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5353882.stm
I can only hope that they were supposed to be red pandas and the BBC has simply been creative with its choice of photograph.
Having said that, there is a patch of bamboo by the river near my house!
Touty
Well-known member
Capercaillie71 said:
The animals involved were Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4402538.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2611911.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2378275.stm
They've quite a reputation as escapologists and for surviving quite happily in Europe once they get out into mixed woodland with bamboo. Some people claim one of the two Belfast pandas survived for 18 months in the thick steep woodland behind the zoo.
Touty
Well-known member
Capercaillie71 said:
The animals involved WERE Red Pandas (Ailurus fulgens):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4402538.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/2611911.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2378275.stm
They've quite a reputation as escapologists and for surviving quite happily in Europe once they get out into mixed woodland with bamboo. Some people claim one of the two Belfast pandas survived for 18 months in the thick steep woodland behind the zoo.
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Thanks for those links Touty - I assumed it would be red pandas, although now the BBC website has a link to the story on its front page, illustrated with a photo of a Giant Panda.
Sandra (Taylor)
Well-known member
A very loose link to this thread - but talking about escapees, what has Kingussie Wildlife Park done with its pack of beautiful timber wolves. They now have a 'pack' of 5 European wolves that look like alsation dogs!
Didn't visit the park - saw photographs on the web site, but no e-mail address to contact.
Sandra
Didn't visit the park - saw photographs on the web site, but no e-mail address to contact.
Sandra
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Sandra (Taylor) said:
I believe they were put down. Some story about their social structure collapsing and some of the animals attacking each other. Conveniently it coincided with the park wanting to shift from keeping N American wolves to the more authentic European ones.
James Lowther
Well-known member
we can only conclude therefore that big cats have a population of several thousands
I read this article this morning. Is it me, or is this a very poorly written and researched article? Something I would expect to read in the Sun, not on the BBC website.
Since when were wild boar, sharks, eagles and snakes exotic to the UK? They hardly fall into the same bracket as big cats, crocodiles and wallabies!
Since when were wild boar, sharks, eagles and snakes exotic to the UK? They hardly fall into the same bracket as big cats, crocodiles and wallabies!
Sandra (Taylor)
Well-known member
Capercaillie71 said:
Thanks for that Capercaillie. I had actually heard they'd 'killed' them but could hardly believe it - this from a Wildlife society that promotes itself as being into conservation. How long ago was this - and was it known locally do you think? My information was that they'd been killed just because they wanted to introduce the European ones - no mention of suddenly their structure was collapsing!
A pity they weren't so concerned with that bear they used to have that was such a pitiful creature - that was a candidate for putting down peacefully but I think they just waited for it to die.
Sandra
Capercaillie71
Well-known member
Sandra (Taylor) said:
There's some more info here Sandra, although given the giant panda story I linked to previously, I don't know how reliable the BBC is!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/5004766.stm
I have to say that the thing about them not displaying natural behaviour sounds dodgy - I think you are right in saying that they wanted European wolves, but couldn't find anyone who wanted to have their north American pack.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
I have to say that the thing about them not displaying natural behaviour sounds dodgy - I think you are right in saying that they wanted European wolves, but couldn't find anyone who wanted to have their north American pack.[/QUOTE]
We went round that buoy previously - the problem was not unnatural behaviour, it was natural pack dynamics at the end of a strong alpha male's reign, but because the enclosure is only so big the normal ability to use space to evade persecution wasn't an option for wolves losing out in the title race and accompanying instability in the social order. There is plenty of literature on such things (anything by Dave Mech and there are other recent studies too) and some of the recent programmes such as those on the Yellowstone wolves have been informative too.
I thought the solution was extreme, but you are kidding yourselves if you think the keepers etc weren't as sad as we are at the outcome.
John
We went round that buoy previously - the problem was not unnatural behaviour, it was natural pack dynamics at the end of a strong alpha male's reign, but because the enclosure is only so big the normal ability to use space to evade persecution wasn't an option for wolves losing out in the title race and accompanying instability in the social order. There is plenty of literature on such things (anything by Dave Mech and there are other recent studies too) and some of the recent programmes such as those on the Yellowstone wolves have been informative too.
I thought the solution was extreme, but you are kidding yourselves if you think the keepers etc weren't as sad as we are at the outcome.
John
Sandra (Taylor)
Well-known member
Thanks John & Capercaillie71: I just wanted to know what had happened - and there's lots of information you've provided me with. But what sad reading it makes. I'm sure the decision wasn't taken lightly but comments I've had are - couldn't they have gone to some sort of wolf conservation scheme and split up . I know!!! .... This will have been looked at by the Park staff...
Won't bring it up again - so thanks you two.
Sandra
|=(|
Won't bring it up again - so thanks you two.
Sandra
|=(|
stronzo
Well-known member
Sandra (Taylor) said:
The trouble is that wolves are very pack orientated, any changes totally shift the domination in the pack. It is not as simple as adding or taking away an animal.
When I worked with them we only had about 10 animals and for some reason the whole pack turned on this one animal, maybe it was a male who tried to take on the leader and lost, I cannot remember. But within a couple of month we had lost 3 or 4 animals as the hierarchy changed and another animal was cast out of the pack.
In the wild these animals have chance to get away, but in captivity they are stuck in a small area. In the end we were forced to send about 4 back to another zoo that were on loan to us, but it left us with only 2 or 3 animals. You could not add any to this or the trouble would start over again and if I remember right the remaining were all males.
Mark
jurek
Well-known member
It is well documented that wild wolves kill each other in territory and dominance disputes. Which makes interesting question - should zoo be blamed for preventing "natural" behavior?
The same applies to many other popular zoo animals - brown bears, bottlenose dolphins, chimps, gorillas, parrots etc.
The same applies to many other popular zoo animals - brown bears, bottlenose dolphins, chimps, gorillas, parrots etc.
Farnboro John
Well-known member
jurek said:
There are no easy answers, and the right and wrong of it all would be easier if humans hadn't cocked up so much of the world and its fauna and flora. But the questions need to be asked all the same.
John
motacilla oenenthe
Well-known member
i had heard some weathly landowner in cornwall wanted to bring in coyotes to replace the foxes in his hunts.......dunno what became of his scheme..........
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