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Message: <blockquote data-quote="GDK" data-source="post: 1643726" data-attributes="member: 21712">Dear All,Apologies for not being more prompt in this response, I did flick through the thread a few weeks ago but didnt have time to delve deeper.Now Ive had more of a look, I would suggest some points for thought:Amendments to Cat A:•    Siberian Chipmunk - how has that made the list?!!!!  There are no confirmed sightings in UK apart from obvious escapes (am I wrong?).  If as John says one makes it from releases in France, then it still aint wild - it just somehow crossed the channel.•    I would bin the Goats and the Sheep.  They are not wild animals but feral animals acting wild (ok they have been doing it for a long time!) - they have originated from domestic stock and are not a genuine wild species.  Or am I wrong on this?????•    As for Ferret on sch A - bin that too.  They are not wild animals, at best can only be classified as feral populations of a feral breed??•    Brown Rat – Thought this was first introduced/recorded in 1720’s therefore doesn’t fulfill your definition of Cat A.  Prior to that our Rattus of choice was Black.•    Fraser’s Dolphin – the only record in the UK as far as I know is from tideline corpse – should this be on the list?Additions:  I would perhaps add:•    European Free Tailed Bat – Vagrant recorded in Cornwall 2003, •    Hoary Bat Vagrant recorded on South Ron 1847 (possible ship assist – give it the benefit of the doubt?).  Would not fulfil a criterion of post 1900 sightings*•    If you apply ship assisted definition used by the BOU to bats then surely Silver Haired, Big Brown and Little Brown bat should all make it onto the list as ship assisted without feeding!  What about plane assists?Pond bat is legitimate.  I know the person who pulled the first one (from the East Anglia sightings) out of the net.  Whether there is a sustainable colony in that part of the Brecks is, I think, still unknown.  There have also been sighting(s) in Kent.I would only count Category A as wild; (as an aside I would perhaps give thought to those in C that have clearly become a standard part of our 'ecological landscape' i.e. Grey Squirrel, Muntjac would be a yes; Edible Dormouse, Boar - no (too restricted).  But as this is to subjective a criterion so in the end I would probably prefer to leave the likes of Grey Squirrel off the list for another 300years <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" />  Surprisingly a list of wild animals in the UK, which I roughly made a few years ago (out of interest), very much approximated with your categories - esp the 1500 cut off point (borrowed from the archeophyte and neophyte distinctions in the Flora Atlas).  I would however split A to include just pure wild animals, and all the archeophytes in Category C, which would become a multi stage category with those introduced prior to 1500 and those after.There are a great many discussion of what of our fauna is introduced and what is native.  Here is a list of what I have down as pre 1500 introductions:Greater White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula (Channel Islands)Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens cassiteridum (Scilly)European Hare Lepus europaeusEuropean Rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculusFallow Deer Dama dama Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus House Mouse Mus musculus domesticus St Kilda House Mouse (extinct)Black Rat Rattus rattus Common Vole Microtus arvalis orcadensis (Orkney pops)And post 1500 introductions (‘self sustaining’/'deliberate re-introduction' etc not determined, to me this a junk category I don’t worry about):American Mink Mustela visonWild Boar Sus scrofaSika Deer Cervus nipponChinese Muntjac Muntiacus reevesiChinese Water Deer Hydropotes inermis Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensisRed Squirrel (controversial?)Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus Edible Dormouse Glis glis European Beaver Castor fiberRed Necked Whallaby Macropus rufogriseusReindeer Rangifer tarandusMusk Rat Ondatra zibethica (Introduced and exterminated)Coypu Myocastor coypus (Introduced and exterminated)Siberian ChipmunkStriped Skunk Mephitis mephitisGtr White Toothed Shrew (Ireland)Im sure there are many others, Ive just added the most obvious/often encountered and those in vogue on BF.Next UK/Eire wild species?  Perhaps Rough Toothed Dolphin……Easy to overlook!!Thanks for posting your list it is interesting.  Im sure Ive missed some stuff out but the above is what I could come up with from a good read through of your list. I know Im quite tough on the introduced stuff.  Thoughts?CheersGareth*Something to think about here - if you start including old vagrant records where do you stand with including extinct species (eg Wolf extinct 1680/90).  A cut off is needed otherwise you should start adding Lion and Mammoth to your list.  Which, if this is a serious attempt at a British and Irish Mammal list then perhaps it should include all recorded animals, no matter how extinct and how long ago?</blockquote>

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