European predators

25 September 2003, 13:43

mho

quote:
Originally posted by Bakes:
What large predators are still in the forrest in Europe? Any?

Bakes

In Eastern Europe and Scandinavia bears (grizly type, but probably slightly smaller), wolf and lynx still abound. Italy and Spain have retained smaller populations of bears and wolves, and they gradually make their way into neigbouring countries. Austria (and perhaps Germany?) get some overflow predator population from the East. France and Switzerland have released lynx - much to the chagrin of the local hunters! I'm sure I have forgotten something, but somebody else will fill in the voids.
- mike

25 September 2003, 14:54

Selkie

Lots of info here,

Large Carnivores in Europe

25 September 2003, 19:54

Marterius

In Scandinavia also wolverine. In Sweden, there is no legal hunting of wolverine and of wolf only on animals known to have taken livestock - you are not allowed to shoot a "first offender" wolf killing your cow but you can get a permission to shoot it if it returns for the next. Lynx and bear are hunted on a licens-system in Sweden. Norway and Finland have other rules...

25 September 2003, 20:57

Pete E

Bakes,

If you are a "believer" it seems that we might just have a small but growing population of feral big cats in the UK...Take a look at the latest story below:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/3133428.stm

Unfortuneately the case for these big cats being present in the UK seems to attract an interest from the lunitic fringe /tin foil brigade...

Gearing that in mind, some back ground info can be found at:
http://www.ukbigcats.co.uk/beastofexmoor.asp

http://www.ukbigcats.com/

Regards,

Pete

25 September 2003, 23:35

EXPRESS

Off the top of my head in Italy they have;

Golden Jackal in the far North East(very rare)
Wolves.
Foxes
Bears in the National Park in Abruzzo.
Wild cats
Lynx I think has also turned up in the far NE again.
Badgers and other mustelids.

25 September 2003, 23:52

Sauenjï¿½ger1

Fox, badger and other mustelids are usual and can be hunt.

Lynx is released at some places.
Wolves imigrated just two years ago from Poland. The number is growing.

Bears are not here (except in Zoo or Fences) and wolverine has never been here (may be in the last Ice age).

So our deer and boar would life like in paradies if we would not hunt.

Best regards

26 September 2003, 01:28

Tombo21

In reference to the post by Marterius, my friends in Northern Sweden tell me the laws have never stopped the Lapps from shooting anything they think might be detrimental to their Reindeer herds. They tell me they don't see evidence of many wolves from Vasterbotten on north. But I guess the only person with definitive evidence would be J Bell who posts here from time to time.

26 September 2003, 11:58

Bakes

Pete we have those same stories here as well. The latest coming from the wife's home town of Lithgow.
Some people seem to think they are a small population of marsupial lion that lived in Australia 1000's of years ago. Some say they are escapee's from US bases during WW2. One fella in a town called Oberon came home from the pub [Roll Eyes]

all scratched up. He said he was attacked by a large cat. This sparked a hunt for the Oberon panther. Turned out he fell into a blackberry bush on the way home [Big Grin]

Bakes

26 September 2003, 23:51

Marterius

quote:
Originally posted by Tombo21:
In reference to the post by Marterius, my friends in Northern Sweden tell me the laws have never stopped the Lapps from shooting anything they think might be detrimental to their Reindeer herds. They tell me they don't see evidence of many wolves from Vasterbotten on north. But I guess the only person with definitive evidence would be J Bell who posts here from time to time.

The laws have never stopped them from shooting anything at all, detrimental or not. Nor have wardens - they just wait until the weather conditions are so bad that the wardens are stuck in their cabin... But this is a very, very sensitive matter to discuss, as they are "aboriginal" (sp?) and as such must be treated with outmost politeness... There is a lot of evidence to the fact, but very little evidence to point to an individual that would hold in court... And no matter how much I deplore the practice, I admire their field-craft.