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Should Ireland Re-Introduce the wolf?

245

Comments

  • #32
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,065 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    jester77 wrote: »
    I would be all for it, they did this in Yellowstone National Park and the results are astounding
    In Yellowstone National Park, an area that covers more than three thousand square miles. That's a wilderness area about a third larger than the county of Cork. Even there they have had issues with wolves moving beyond the confines of the park into surrounding farmland.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



  • #33
    Lovely Bloke
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14,748 ✭✭✭✭Lovely Bloke


    Pesky wolves not respecting private land rights, or reading signs.


  • #34
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭Feisar


    Richard Hillman wrote: »
    It is appalling that we have no wild land in this country. Everywhere regulated, zoned or sold

    It's more of a space thing, sure we aren't in a densely populated country however one is never too far from habitation.

    For reference Yellowstone National Park is 20% bigger than Cork.

    First they came for the socialists...



  • #35
    unkel
    Registered Users Posts: 64,702 ✭✭✭✭unkel


    If there are too many deer in the Wicklow mountains, let's cull them and eat them. Delicious!


  • #36
    OldGoat
    Registered Users Posts: 12,631 ✭✭✭✭OldGoat


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Bears? Seriously...where?
    The Aillwee cave in the Burren has preserved bear habitats (a bit of a hardened mud circle in the ground) available to the public for viewing. The caves are worth walking through, about half an hour underground. A tourist trap perhaps but not as twee as most.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aillwee_Cave

    I'm older than Minecraft goats.



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  • #37
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭Feisar


    Wibbs wrote: »
    In Yellowstone National Park, an area that covers more than three thousand square miles. That's a wilderness area about a third larger than the county of Cork. Even there they have had issues with wolves moving beyond the confines of the park into surrounding farmland.

    Sorry, I didn't see your post!

    First they came for the socialists...



  • #38
    Feisar
    Registered Users Posts: 6,597 ✭✭✭Feisar


    unkel wrote: »
    If there are too many deer in the Wicklow mountains, let's cull them and eat them. Delicious!

    Not as tasty as a good beef steak though.

    Also for venison sausages and burgers butchers often add pig lard bits for taste. I don't know this as fact however the butcher we use to make them had to be specifically requested not to.

    First they came for the socialists...



  • #39
    Jack the Stripper
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,203 ✭✭✭Jack the Stripper


    Would they eat a few Healy Raes?


  • #40
    Parchment
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,203 ✭✭✭Parchment


    The latent goth in me loves the idea. Wolves are stunning but would it not upset the ecosystem/animal "chain of command" at this point?


  • #41
    cruizer101
    Registered Users Posts: 3,205 ✭✭✭cruizer101


    There is part of me that likes the idea but as others have said we don't really have proper wilderness in Ireland anymore, your never more than an hours or twos walk from a house. Any national parks we have aren't really that big.

    I did see a documentary a number of years ago about a guy in Scotland who was trying to re-introduce them, and there could be an argument for that, deer population is very high and they have proper wilderness.


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  • #42
    Dr Crayfish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,960 ✭✭✭Dr Crayfish


    We have no wilderness, so it's impossible, Wolves cover a lot of ground.
    Rewilding is something that can do wonders for an environment though, George Monbiot did a piece on Wolves being introduced to Yellowstone Park and the positive impact they had, worth looking it up.


  • #43
    gramar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 12,045 ✭✭✭✭gramar


    Lovely Bloke wrote: »
    The Wolf Pack in the Zoo is amazing, if you get there just after opening time and head straight over there you'll usually see them congregated near the viewing place just up the steps, all howling in unison, it's beautifully creepy.

    So kind of like wolfe tones then?


  • #44
    Carlos Orange
    Registered Users Posts: 2,499 ✭✭✭Carlos Orange


    Wibbs wrote: »
    In Yellowstone National Park, an area that covers more than three thousand square miles. That's a wilderness area about a third larger than the county of Cork. Even there they have had issues with wolves moving beyond the confines of the park into surrounding farmland.

    For context there are < 100 wolves in Yellowstone. It isn't like we could scale the program down to whatever space we have available.


  • #45
    Dr Crayfish
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,960 ✭✭✭Dr Crayfish


    psinno wrote: »
    For context there are < 100 wolves in Yellowstone. It isn't like we could scale the program down to whatever space we have available.

    We have no space available


  • #46
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 5,121 ✭✭✭[Deleted User]


    There are rewilding projects happening in Britain.

    http://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/rewilding/reintroductions/

    I don't think we have the space for wolves but there are plenty of other things that could be done.


  • #47
    arctictree
    Registered Users Posts: 4,283 ✭✭✭arctictree


    They would need to be fenced in, and that fence maintained.

    As a sheep farmer, there would only be one result if a wolf was caught in a field with my flock.


  • #48
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    arctictree wrote: »
    They would need to be fenced in, and that fence maintained.

    A zoo by another name.

    Inroducing wolves is a non starter. It would only be done for our pleasure; it would be of no advantage to the poor wolves put to live there.


  • #49
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    How did this get to 4 pages?

    It can't happen, and it won't happen. Ever. Go to one of our National Parks, hike around Killarney, around the Reeks (where dogs are now banned, because we can't even manage to control poodles). Fantasy stuff, too much Game of Thrones on telly.


  • #50
    JupiterKid
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 12,557 Mod ✭✭✭✭JupiterKid


    Ok - so reintroducing the wolf may be a non runner. But what about wild boar and beavers?

    Obviously introducing lions and bears may have some negative side effects...


  • #51
    Agricola
    Registered Users Posts: 6,547 ✭✭✭Agricola


    Deleted User wrote: »
    How did this get to 4 pages?

    It can't happen, and it won't happen. Ever. Go to one of our National Parks, hike around Killarney, around the Reeks (where dogs are now banned, because we can't even manage to control poodles). Fantasy stuff, too much Game of Thrones on telly.

    Exactly.

    Pure madness. We haven't anything remotely like the size of wilderness needed to sustain them or even any natural prey for them to hunt.

    And even if we did, considering what went on with eagles and how much certain sectors of society like curious pursuits such as "lamping" etc, I'd hazard a guess that most of them would be poisoned, shot, or captured in short order!


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  • #52
    tabby aspreme
    Registered Users Posts: 3,846 ✭✭✭tabby aspreme


    And what of other megafauna? Some ecologists have suggested introducing predators such as Lions, Rhinos and the like to North America. Would you think lions and bears in the Irish countryside would be madness? Discuss...[/quote]

    Next time you are in Dublin zoo hop over the fence in the African plains and after a leisurely stroll around report back to us .

    The country is not overrun with foxes , less foxes = more rabbits and rats


  • #53
    Agricola
    Registered Users Posts: 6,547 ✭✭✭Agricola


    tabby aspreme wrote: »
    Would you think lions and bears in the Irish countryside would be madness? Discuss...

    Well it would certainly make Sunday mountain walks a bit more exciting.


  • #54
    Boom_Bap
    Moderators, Music Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 25,730 Mod ✭✭✭✭Boom_Bap


    200_s.gif


  • #55
    BrokenArrows
    Registered Users Posts: 7,500 ✭✭✭BrokenArrows


    It would be insane to introduce a dangerous predatory species into Ireland.
    Sure why not bring back snakes. Would be a great laugh.


  • #56
    Noddyholder
    Closed Accounts Posts: 696 ✭✭✭Noddyholder


    JupiterKid wrote: »
    Ok - so reintroducing the wolf may be a non runner. But what about wild boar and beavers?

    Obviously introducing lions and bears may have some negative side effects...[/QUOTE]

    :D:P Just a tad.


  • #57
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭[Deleted User]


    Deleted User wrote: »
    Plenty of private property.

    Less than 3,000 hectares of public park.

    It's like saying "I have a fish tank in the sitting room, I'd like to keep a shark..."

    I used to have a shark in a fish tank in the sitting room. He was called George.

    What I'd really like is for them to introduce a few sea eagles to patrol around Dublin city. Might cut down on the seagulls a bit.


  • #58
    JupiterKid
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 12,557 Mod ✭✭✭✭JupiterKid


    Well, Eurasian beavers have been successfully reintroduced to Scotland so I can't see why they couldn't be here.

    It seems to be farmers who are most opposed to species reintroduction. And their concerns are valid but the ecotourism potential of beaver reintroduction could be considerable.

    I also think shooting and poisoning reintroduced eagles is despicable and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It seems we still have quite an immature attitude to wildlife here in Ireland.


  • #59
    Cervantes2
    Closed Accounts Posts: 118 ✭✭Cervantes2


    This is all because of Game of Thrones isn't it :pac:


  • #60
    Nift
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 1,075 ✭✭✭Nift


    fizzypish wrote: »
    For the purpose of conversation good post OP and what I'm about to write is not aimed at you but the idea: **** no thats a terrible idea. The areas they did it in the states were remote to some degree. Theres no spot in Ireland bar the top of a mountain where your not a quarter day from someone. No matter where you put them they would interfere with farmland. They already have problems re introducing large birds of prey due to farmers shooting them. Wolves are so ****ing dangerous that during WW2, the Russians and Germans had a cease fire to kill the wolf population due to predation on the soldiers. If you argue the wolves were starving in that situation then I say that the introduced wolves to Ireland will only be a problem if they get hungry enough?!?! As a people we have forgotten but we exterminated the population for a reason. Wolves would control the deer population and foxes and all that stuff BUT we'd have to control the wolf population. Lets all be thankful that the most dangerous **** we deal with is an Irate badger or a thicket of nettles.

    It was World War One and its not why we exterminated Wolves.

    Think you are over stretching with the danger angle there.

    We should introduce more i say, we have the least amount of Fauna in Europe i think. Was watching Wild Ireland on bbc and its beautiful but also kind of sad that all we have is birds and migratory wales for the most part. All because of bloodthirsty humans.

    The last wolf in Ireland was killed in 1786...so it's hardly outlandish as it seems. Game of Thrones my arse.


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  • #61
    osarusan
    Registered Users Posts: 16,542 ✭✭✭✭osarusan


    Should be introduced in great numbers around the Athlone area.


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