bear's........

**1987_uk** · 05-01-2004, 19:37

i heard that along time ago bears used to live wild in england :-? can anyone help me with this. what kind of bears were they ? and what parts of england did the inhabit ? thanks,

wayne

**Gary** · 05-01-2004, 22:10

How far back you wanna go?

We had european browns mostly but if you go back further you could find all sorts include the prehistoric giant bear.

We also had wolves, lions and tigers ohh my!!

**Wendi** · 06-01-2004, 00:29

I read that the European brown bear existed in England till about 500 years ago. This bear is believed to be of the same makeup as the North American grizzly bear! As the bear requires large ranges and is slow to reproduce it's no wonder that it became extinct in England. It is a shame...the wilderness seems much more wild when you have to worry about real creatures that go bump in the night :shock:

**Wayne** · 06-01-2004, 20:40

Have to agree there. The Uk outdoors is much more of a parkland without its hertiage of large carnivores.

Spent a summer alone in Alaska walking camping, Meeting a brown bear is the best and scariest experience to date.

**dtalbot** · 08-01-2004, 22:23

According to trees for life:

http://www.treesforlife.org.uk/tfl.visi.html

"Species such as the brown bear and the wild boar had become extinct (from Britain) by the 10th and 17th centuries respectively, while the last to disappear was the wolf, when the final individual was shot in 1743."

And they intend reintroducing the missing wildlife once they have recreated a significant tract of Caledonian forest. Top Blokes!!!

David

**Gary** · 09-01-2004, 11:20

That would be good.

It has always been my dream to be able to do that - afford to do that.

I'd buy a huge chuck of Jock land put a fence around it and reintroduce all native species - let em get on with it for a while and then use the annual kull as a means to support the project.

Having seen wolves and bears in the wild in Canada it'd be fantastic to see them wild here too.

**dtalbot** · 09-01-2004, 15:58

Yep,
My every dream will be realised when I stand in the woods of this island and hear a wild wolf call!
David

**Roving Rich** · 09-01-2004, 16:19

Well not far from me you can do just that. There is a pack of wolves in an enclosed woodland near Newbury. You can go visit them walk with them etc.. A registered charity upto some good. Such actions should be encouraged as they are bound to escape sooner or later...
Cheers
Rich

**dtalbot** · 09-01-2004, 16:29

Originally Posted by Roving Rich

Well not far from me you can do just that. There is a pack of wolves in an enclosed woodland near Newbury. You can go visit them walk with them etc.. A registered charity upto some good. Such actions should be encouraged as they are bound to escape sooner or later...
Cheers
Rich

Yep,
I've come across them on the web and they are on my list of things to do!

**Roving Rich** · 09-01-2004, 16:41

Me too, maybe we should have a BCUK coach outing.
:-D

**Wayne** · 09-01-2004, 19:27

The Wolf charity near Newbury is The Wolf Conservation Trust.

They hold seminars throughout the year with guest speakers at Cheam School. Last Speaker was Jim Halfpenny large carnivore ecologist and tracker. They did a tracking evening as well was first class.

**dtalbot** · 28-01-2004, 21:51

I see from the Independent yesterday tha we have got wild boar back in the wild in the UK, just need the wolves and bears roaming the southeast to control numbers :wink: !

**woodsitter** · 28-01-2004, 22:06

Ahh, you brits miss the landlink!

Here in Holland we of course also killed everything bigger than squirrel, but fortunately we are connected to more rugged areas in Belgium and Germany. Al lot of species introduced them selves again, some with a little help. Lot’s of wild boar now, all kinds of flying creatures and since an few years we again have otters and beaver.

There where plans to re-introduce bigger and wilder animals but people are a bit scared. They now use Scottish Galloway’s as big grazers in some habitats, they look wild at least.

Since very recent Germany has wolves again! Conservationist where lobbying for years to no avail, but these seem to be illegal immigrants from Poland! And they are spreading as there are no more borders and lots of wolf-empty space! So maybe in 10 or 20 years we also have wolfs again in Holland (but it’s probably to crowded here).

Oh, a few months ago there was a kangaroo seen in the east, but I don’t think that we can count that as being wildlife. :wink:

**gurushaun** · 29-01-2004, 10:54

Do the Wolf Conservation Trust have a website? If they do can anyone post the Addy, or their snail mail addy? I love Wolves :-D.

Cheers

Shaun

**Adi007** · 29-01-2004, 11:17

Here you go!

http://www.ukwolf.org/ :-D

Originally Posted by gurushaun

Do the Wolf Conservation Trust have a website? If they do can anyone post the Addy, or their snail mail addy? I love Wolves :-D.

Cheers

Shaun

**Keith_Beef** · 29-01-2004, 16:51

Originally Posted by dtalbot

I see from the Independent yesterday tha we have got wild boar back in the wild in the UK, just need the wolves and bears roaming the southeast to control numbers :wink: !

I don't think that a few wolves and bears will be enough to keep down population in the sout-east.

The animals tend to be a bit wary, and will only attack when either very hungry, or when cornered.

Keith

**grumit** · 29-01-2004, 17:50

hi rich i've seen those wolf's there well cool

**Bear Stone** · 29-01-2004, 19:02

There's a Bear living in Birmingham - but not very domesticated...

**stuart f** · 03-02-2004, 22:45

Would be nice to see wolves back in the wilds of the UK. why don,t they introduce them into parts of Scotland and instead of an annual cull of the many deer,let nature take its natural course!!

**Justin Time** · 03-02-2004, 23:18

I'm not against re-introducing wolves to the highlands, and I'd love to see them in the wild but it always tickles me that it's people in England arguing for it.

True, the Red Deer population would probably benefit, but it's not that convincing to be arguing for reintroduction when you're 500 or 600 miles away from. I'm sure the main campaign is based in Oxford :roll:

Cheers
Justin
wondering whether I can afford £35 to join the wolf conservation trust so that I can go for a walk with them.

**bothyman** · 04-02-2004, 08:19

Why not introduce them back to England.

Why do people always want to do things as long as it is not done near where they live??

Just up the road from where I live there is a stone where the last Wolf in Sutherland was supposedly killed.
Not the exact place as they widened the road and moved the stone back!!

Scotland is not as remote as you think especially when you live here.

**Roving Rich** · 04-02-2004, 09:04

Stuff the highlands, I want them in England living off a diet of fly tippers and joy riders :-D
Rich

**Gary** · 04-02-2004, 14:46

Just to clarify on the 'people living in England' point - the reason I say scotland is because to my mind it would be the ideal area - climacticly correct as well as rugged and reseasonably unpopulated.

I live in Essex and if I could I'd buy Epping forest and reintroduce them there - I'd rather do that than do it in scotland but the practicle aspects all point north. I wouldnt want to send my money north but conversationally speaking that would be the best place.

More over I would much rather just re-introdce them every where and let natural take its course - so a few dogs, cats and Hikers might get eaten but hey were over populated anyway so no lose - I prefer animals to most of the people i know anyway.

And if we could train them the kill mountain bikers all the better in my book!

**woodsitter** · 04-02-2004, 15:15

And if we could train them the kill mountain bikers all the better in my book!

But bushcrafters form Essex are much easier pray than mountain bikers

**dtalbot** · 04-02-2004, 15:18

Yep,
Lets have them all back where they belong, and that most certainly includes England!
David

**Roving Rich** · 04-02-2004, 16:47

hey lay off us mountain bikers! Its fun and the most practical and environmentally sound method of transport. Oh and it means i don't have to drive back fronm the pub :wink:
Rich

**stuart f** · 04-02-2004, 19:48

Now then let me explain when i said about wolves in scotland i,m not 500 miles away, i,m scottish born and bred, staying in Scotland and working the length & bredth of it, Highlands& Islands,all over.Of course i would like to see wolves or any other wild animals that have disappeared due to human interference, in either England, Scotland, wales, Ireland or the rest of the Europe for that matter. But at the end of the day it,s a hypothetical situation we were talking about. its still only a nice thought though.

**Justin Time** · 04-02-2004, 22:59

ops: OOeer, looks like I've started an international incident...there are lots of sensible reasons why the highlands would be the place in the UK for a re-introduction scheme to start, although you couldn't imagine they would just stay there. I wasn't having a dig at people on this forum, more pointing out the incongruity of the fact that the campaign to re-introduce wolves is based in Oxford

Cheers

Justin
I used to be a werewolf, but I'm alright nooowwwoooooo

**Martyn** · 04-02-2004, 23:34

Last I looked, it was called the United Kingdom, perhaps it should be the Untied Kingdom. :wink:

Can we introduce them to Kent? Bears too?

**bothyman** · 05-02-2004, 08:13

Originally Posted by Justin Time

:the fact that the campaign to re-introduce wolves is based in Oxford

Thats where they should be, lots of juicy students to live on they won't miss the odd one or two.

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