Badgers to be gassed

. Very good.

The hedgehogs should not be killed (or culled - I am sure this word is used to make it seem acceptable) Hebridean. Quite agree. It was not their choice to take a trip to the Uists. By the same token the Grey Squirrels did not ask to be transported to Great Britain. Such damage is done when non-native species are introduced, Look at the goats in New Zealand,

All the more reason their numbers should be controlled, Flower.

The birds did not ask to have invasive incomers eating their eggs and chicks, and the red squirrels did not ask to be outnumbered, outforaged and bullied by grey ones.

The red ones eat a more restricted diet - spruce and pine seeds, acorns, berries, fungi, bark and sap tissue. Grey squirrels will eat these too, and anything else, including eggs and young birds. They are twice as big as red squirrels.

Not a level playing field. It is on a par with letting motor-cycles compete in the tour de France.

Flowerofthewst I thought it was deer, not goats, in New Zealand that presented a huge problem. This was dealt with by farming deer and servicing a highly successful international market. (Clearly not an option with many other species.) I haven't heard about goats.

I agree these should be controlled but in a humane way. I abhor the fact that the hedgehogs are devastating the ground nesting bird population in the Uists. I am a keen bird watcher and bird lover. The best way is to transport them to the mainland, to a sanctuary and when ready release them in suitable habitats.

The grey squirrels are a pest and should be managed. Hate the thought of them being shot or worse though. The grey do not bully the red squirrels.
Greys don't kill the reds, they spread the 'pox' which they are resistant to but kills the reds within 5-7 days. Reds also will eat bird eggs.

Also if the greys are to be eradicated completely because they are a non native species then so should rabbits and 4 of our 6 species of deer which were introduced. Fallow, muntjac, sika and chinese water deer. Grey squirrels are, by default, an integral part of British wildlife now. Even the Brown Hare was possibly introduced by the Romans.

There are feral - introduced goat in NZ but maybe not such a treat as the deer. In fact I think they are protected. may be wrong.,

Is anyone talking about total eradication/extermination on here? I though we were discussing culling (we all know it means killing) as a means of control.

I think that many conservationists would like to see the grey squirrel eradicated. Just got carried away.

I wonder if there would be something to be said for leaving the wildlife alone and just letting it evolve as it will. I can't see any benefit to reintroducing species that disappeared long ago. Thinking red kites and sea eagles.

They are not even sure if the hedgehogs are actually having much effect on the birds. We interfere too much.

Hi JO8 , see your point but Sea Eagles were persecuted by man shot, poisened and the egg collecting has a lot to answer. They did not die out naturally.

Red Kite but also persecuted by man to near extinction.

Flowerofthewest But isn't the human race part of nature?

J08 Taken to its logical conclusion that approach would mean doing away with antibiotics – let bacteria evolve at they will – insecticides – let malaria flourish – and other pesticides – widespread, possibly global, famine and maybe even the extinction of the human race.

Absent! I was talking wildlife.

Flowerofthewest Yes, but we are doing fine without them. Kites make a nuisance of themselves in some areas. Sea Eagles take young lambs.

But that's nature, jingle.

Yes. And some of it I can do without.

I hate those bloody red kites.

But they are beautiful

Hummm...

Do we have domesticated bacteria and pet mosquitoes?

Well, I don't love 'em. if we do.

Red Kites are normally scavengers, how are they a nuisance? Sea Eagles have been known to take lambs but their diet is mainly fulmars and fish. Of 100 lambs in a study of dead newborn lambs only one was found with talon marks on its body. There have been exaggerated claims by crofters about older lambs being taken. There is compensation for lambs taken by Sea Eagles so it is sometimes beneficial for less scrupulous people to blame the Sea Eagles. I have this on good authority from a person who has to investigate claims regarding Sea Eagle attacks on lambs.

Also the Sea Eagles bring a lot of benefits to Western Scotland and The Western Isles with tourism. Red Kites too especially in North and Mid Wales attract a vast amount of tourism. I know they are artificially fed but they bring a lot of enjoyment to a lot of people.

I have eyelash lice and so do we all, they must be pets JO8 and absent

Absent, you've got about 100 trillion microorganisms in your gut, so I guess you could say they are domesticated.

Jendurham

I love red kites. One of the buses from Newcastle is called the Red Kite run. The first ones we saw were at Gibside. Now when we go to Newcastle, the Metro Centre or Gibside we take the Red Kite route, so we can see how many we spot and who spots them first. It worries me when it's my son as he's usually driving.

My very first Red Kite (and it was only one!) was on the Black Isle - we spent days looking for them, now they are everywhere and I love it.