Growing Movement To Reintroduce Bears, Wolves Into Scotland

An Earth Day debate in Scotland has sparked conversation about reintroducing predatory animals into the Scottish landscape.

Monday's debate surrounded the pros and cons of bringing back bears, wolves and lynxes back to the highlands. Bears are through to have died out in Scotland in the prehistoric period, the BBC reports.

The idea of reintroducing bears to Scotland has reportedly gained momentum in part because of a novel written by Mandy Haggith about an activist who fights for bears to roam free in Scotland. Haggith took part in Monday's debate.

"It was great to see so many people from the community discussing how this land could be inhabited again by the full quotient of animals that are native to it," Haggith told the BBC.

"The debate showed that there is a real appetite for a new vision for the landscape, and enthusiasm for sharing it with other animals like bears, lynx and wolves."

While a portion of the public may be keen on reintroducing bears, wolves are not getting as warm of a response.

Outdoors survival expert Ray Mears warned that reintroducing wolves to Scotland might not be in the best public interest.

"If someone was saying we are releasing [wolves] because we think it will create an ecosystem that was more harmonious and because their absence was felt in the landscape then I would agree with it.

"If we we're releasing them because we want to see them, I don't think that is a good enough reason."

A plan to reintroduce wolves to Scotland in 2010 was dropped in the interest of the animal's welfare, the BBC reported.