A Work of Hope - Feral: Rewilding the Land, the Sea, and Human Life - page 124

the territory it was likely to breed here. One predator, perhaps, was
already returning.

Here is a table of the large mammals and birds which could be con-
sidered for reintroduction into my own country (and which in a few
cases have already begun to establish themselves here). Some of the
entries might surprise you: I strongly recommend the return of the
moose, for example, but not of the wild horse. The wolverine ranks
higher on my list than the bear. I have given the grey whale the same
score as the eagle owl.

Name of
species

Approximate date of
extinction in Britain

Suitability for
reintroduction

Reintroduction efforts
so far

Beaver No later than the

mid- eighteenth
century. 1

10 Officially released into

the Knapdale Forest,
Argyll. Unofficially
released and thriving in
the catchment of the
River Tay.

10 Four small populations in

southern England,
established after escapes
and releases from farms
and collections. Likely to
spread into other regions
if not exterminated.

Wild boar The last truly wild

boar on record were
those killed on the
orders of Henry III in
the Forest of Dean, in
ad 1260. 2

Elk or
Moose
( Alces
alces )

The youngest bones
are 3,900 years old,
from south- west
Scotland. 3

10 Suitable for

reintroduction to forested
regions. Released in
2008 into a 450-acre
enclosure on the Alladale
Estate, Sutherland, as part
of a wider rewilding
project.