Curb Your Enthusiasms For Beavers, Boars and Butterflies?

 

In the UK, there's been a spate of 'guerilla rewilding' animal releases. Eurasian lynx; beavers; boars and even butterflies are among the species 'freed' into a variety of locations. Guerilla rewilding is, however, more problematic than 'guerilla gardening'. The latter phenomenon is, where unauthorised folk take over sections of 'unused' land, to cultivate and grow plants. The results can be impressive and environmentally helpful, They are certainly no worse than regular gardening. Having said that, one must note that UK gardeners have been responsible for the introductions of many problematic plants. These include Japanese knotweed, bamboos, Parrot's feather and Himalayan balsam. There are now very few areas of the UK with anything like an original flora. The additional problem with 'guerilla rewilding' is that it also plays 'fast and loose' with animal welfare. The health and wellbeing of the released animals isn't effectively monitored. They could, of course, have, like the UK introduction of the Grey squirrel, quite devastating effects on indigenous species. Red squirrel populations were decimated. It can sometimes feel that approved rewilding programmes are glacially (remember them?) slow. It's certainly better, however, to get official approval of a release. The released beasts are unlikely to carry any problematic infections. The release will be initially contained and monitored. There will be processes for curtailing the experiment, if it doesn't work out    (https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/apr/12/abandoned-lynx-roaming-wild-boar-beaver-bombing-has-rewilding-got-out-of-hand). Competently carried out rewilding can have real benefits. Folk just need a little more patience and perhaps a little less arrogance. What species are reintroduced, will always be human choices.