A study has suggested that the banning of hunting and curtailing of pollutants has led to a surprising 'bounce back' (since the 1960s) by mammalian carnivores in the UK (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/feb/24/britain-carnivore-badger-stoat-otter-pine-marten-numbers-increasing). Particular improvements in numbers have been noted for Badgers (in spite of the bovine TB-associated culls), Otters, Pine martens and Polecats. This is, of course, not uniformly good news for their prey animals but it does suggest a return (in some areas) to balanced ecologies. I have a slight concern, however, that this type of study tends to paint a rosy picture as it involves enthusiastic trawling for animal sightings for a limited period of time.
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