Allan Bantick, who will take over as chairman of the Scottish Wildlife Trust later this year, told The Scotsman he would like to see the lynx brought back to Scotland. It was hunted to extinction here thousands of years ago.
Why should we consider reintroducing animals that were once native to Scotland?That's a big question. One reason is to restore habitat by natural means.
Another is restoring balance by natural means. Also, to undo the mistake
s of the past.
Do you think there would be benefits to Scotland in bringing back the lynx?In a word, yes. Tourism would be one benefit and balancing the roe deer population would be another.
Are you understanding of the fact that farmers are concerned that bringing back a predator to Scotland could be a threat to their sheep?
Yes, I do understand the problems for farmers, and I think their concerns should be fully addressed before any reintroduction takes place. I think research is necessary in these cases.
The effects of other reintroductions of lynx in other countries should be taken into account.
What did you think of the media coverage of this issue?I thought it was a bit selective. More could have been made of the point that, before anything is done, it should be thoroughly researched.
I do think public debate of this topic is very important. In fact, under European directives, all European countries are required to have this debate about creatures that were eliminated from their countries through the hand of man.
What is the next step in the trial project to reintroduce the beaver to Scotland?The next step is to collect the animals from Norway in the autumn, then to bring them to the UK for quarantine, prior to their release at Knapdale in the spring of 2009.
We are all very excited about it.
The full article contains 315 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
