Plan to return the wolf to Scotland
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The reading
A group of green charities called Rewilding Britain wants to return a large area of Scotland to how it was a thousand years ago. The group wants forests and lost animals, birds and fish to return. One of the animals the group aims to put back into the wild is the wolf. This died out in Britain in 1680 after hunters and farmers killed them all. Other species that could return to Scottish mountains, rivers and seas include the lynx (a wild cat), beavers, bison, sea eagles, bluefin tuna and grey whales. The charities want the government to return one-twentieth of the country to its natural state. The area it wants is the United Kingdom's cleanest region. It hopes much of this can happen by the year 2030.
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Not everyone thinks the reintroduction of animals like the wolf and lynx is a good idea. Farmers are worried it would cause them many problems. A farmer's group said it was a crazy idea to bring back predators to the country because they would start killing farm animals. They also say that dams built by beavers would increase the risk of flooding farmland, while sea eagles kill lambs. Rewilding Britain spokeswoman Rebecca Wrigley said: "Re-wilding is really for everyone who cares about our future." She added: "Our ecosystems need us." Ms Wrigley said it was important to re-wild Britain for, "native forests to regenerate" and to give "the seas a chance to recover from industrial fishing".
Sources:
- http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/13420727.Rewilding_Scotland__green_and_public_bodies_unite_to_bring_back_wolves__lynx_and_sturgeon/
- http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/wolves-lynx-and-wild-boar-could-be-reintroduced-to-british-forests-10389469.html
- http://www.scotsman.com/news/environment/campaign-bids-to-reintroduce-wild-animals-to-uk-1-3830709
