Complete reference list for Black Ops and Beaver Bombing

a grand total of zero. See State of Europe’s Forests 2020, Forest Europe, https://foresteurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SoEF_2020.pdf, p. 120. 

entertainment, not science. See Ross Barnett, The Missing Lynx: The Past and Future of Britain’s Lost Mammals (Bloomsbury, 2019), pp. 313-16.

more than 1% per annum. Frazer Coomber et al., ‘Using biological records to infer long-term occupancy trends of mammals in the UK’, Biological Conservation, 264, December 2021, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320721004146?via%3Dihub 

caught on film for the first time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SxNTdM1O8E 

several times in the United States. See, for example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTPMkey2HH8 

were themselves infected by the water. Feng Y, Xiao L (2011) Zoonotic potential and molecular epidemiology of Giardia species and giardiasis. Clinical Microbiology Reviews: 24, 110–140.

counts 146 human cases in the EU in 2017. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Echinococcosis. In: ECDC. Annual epidemiological report for 2017. Stockholm: ECDC; 2020.

tiny but not zero. Kosmider R, Paterson A, Voas A, Roberts H. 2013. Echinococcus multilocularis introduction and establishment in wildlife via imported beavers. Veterinary Record 172 (23): 606.

keyhole exploration of their livers. Campbell-Palmer R, Del Pozo J, Gottstein B, Girling S, Cracknell J, Schwab G, Rosell F, Pizzi R. (2015) Echinococcus multilocularis detection in live Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) using a combination of laparoscopy and abdominal ultrasound under field conditions. Plos One. Jul 13;10(7):e0130842.

successfully reintroduced beavers. See Duncan J. Halley et al., ‘Population and distribution of beavers Castor fiber and Castor canadensis in Eurasia’, Mammal Review, 51 (1), January 2021, pp. 1-24, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mam.12216 

outnumber them by three or four times. See Rachel Poliquin, Beaver (Reaktion Books, 2015), p. 164.

was built on the back of the beaver. Ibid., p. 88.

several tons of gold annually. Ibid., 95. 

beaver was the fur for you. See Poliquin, pp. 81-122, for a full account of the trade in beaver fur. 

into the remote wilds of Idaho. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APLz2bTprMA 

benefits may prove marginal. Alston JM, Maitland BM, Brito BT, Esmaeili S, Ford AT, Hays B, Jesmer BR, Molina FJ, Goheen JR. Reciprocity in restoration ecology: When might large carnivore reintroduction restore ecosystems?. 2019. Biological Conservation 234:82-9.

chicken nugget walking through the landscape. Emily Fairfax, quoted in Isabella Bloom, ‘A dry California creek bed looked like a wildfire risk. Then the beavers went to work’, The Sacramento Bee, 4 July 2021, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252187473.html

returned it to its grateful owner. See Patrick Thomas and Maggie Angst, ‘Man’s prosthetic leg found in beaver dam, returned after 20 days’, USA Today News, n.d., https://eu.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/08/08/mans-prosthetic-leg-found-beaver-dam-returned-after-20-days/88385778/ 

30% of water entering beaver-populated land stays there. See Brazier, R.E., Elliott, M.,
Andison, E., Auster, R.E., Bridgewater, S., Burgess, P., Chant, J.,
Graham, H., Knott, E., Puttock, A.K., Sansum, P., Vowles, A., (2020)
River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report, p. 70. https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/River%20Otter%20Beaver%20Trial%20-%20Science%20and%20Evidence%20Report.pdf

a strategically-placed enclosure in north Essex. ‘Beaver family succeed in mission to prevent flooding in Essex village’, ITV News, 29 September 2020, https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-09-29/beavers-succeed-in-their-mission-to-prevent-flooding 

Three-quarters of Britain’s ponds have been lost. Williams P, Biggs J, Crowe A, Murphy J, Nicolet P, Weatherby A, Dunbar M. 2010 Countryside Survey: Ponds Report from 2007. Technical Report No. 7/07 Pond Conservation and NERC/Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, 77pp. (CEH Project Number: C03259).

Daily Mirror fretting that Brits would face a shortage of chips. Daily Mirror 5th August 2022. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/britain-now-facing-shortage-chips-27669340

called on the government to ‘overrule nimbys’ [SIC] and build new reservoirs to combat drought Independent 14th August, 2022. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-drought-water-reservoirs-energy-b2144840.html

at a cost of $58,000. Isabella Bloom, ‘A dry California creek bed looked like a wildfire risk. Then the beavers went to work’, The Sacramento Bee, 4 July 2021, https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article252187473.html 

vast improvements in the quality of water downstream of beavers. See, for example, Puttock A, Graham HA, Carless D, Brazier RE (2018) Sediment and nutrient storage in a beaver engineered wetland’, Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 43: 2358-2370, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/esp.4398

they must be removed post haste. See Mark King, ‘Angling Trust calls for Beavers to be shot: Defra Evicts Beavers from Otter’, 28 June 2014, https://anewnatureblog.com/2014/06/28/angling-trust-calls-for-beavers-to-be-shot-defra-evicts-beavers-from-otter/ 

the Trial’s final report. Brazier, R.E., Elliott, M.,
Andison, E., Auster, R.E., Bridgewater, S., Burgess, P., Chant, J.,
Graham, H., Knott, E., Puttock, A.K., Sansum, P., Vowles, A., (2020)
River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/River%20Otter%20Beaver%20Trial%20-%20Science%20and%20Evidence%20Report.pdf 

A 2020 Environment Agency study. Sandra Laville, ‘Shocking state of English rivers revealed as all of them fail pollution tests’, The Guardian, 17 September 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/17/rivers-in-england-fail-pollution-tests-due-to-sewage-and-chemicals 

areas where salmon numbers are crashing. See Lindsay VanSomeren, ‘Scientists Are Relocating Nuisance Beavers to Help Salmon’, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 May 2021, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/taking-nuisance-beavers-out-suburbs-can-help-save-salmon-180977491/ 

this new arrangement. River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report, pp. 56-60.

to properly complete their life cycles. Mark Owen, quoted in Christopher Werth, ‘Beavers Are Mysteriously Back in Britain—but Not Entirely Welcome’, National Geographic, 6 August 2014 https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/140804-beavers-science-environment-britain-extinct-animals 

a stake and a tree guard. River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report, p. 32.

a beaver had ‘had a proper go’ at a dog. ‘Territorial beaver attack in Devon “without warning”’, BBC News, 5 July 2017, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-40503901 

to bite the badger on the nose. River Otter Beaver Trial: Science and Evidence Report, p. 62.

some time in the past millennium. See Raye, L. (2014) The early extinction date of the beaver (Castor fiber) in Britain. Historical Biology 27: 1029–1041.

vanilla and raspberry with floral hints. Sarah Lohman, ‘A Brief History of Castoreum, the Beaver Butt Secretion Used as Flavoring’, Mental Floss, 13 June 2017, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/501813/brief-history-castoreum-beaver-butt-secretion-used-flavoring 

supposedly causing problems of one kind or another, 115 in 2020 and 87 in 2021. https://www.nature.scot/beaver-licensing-figures-published Accessed 14th August 2022.

the first wild beavers in Scotland for 400 years. Scottish Beaver Trial (2007). Trial Reintroduction of the European Beaver to Knapdale, mid-Argyll. Local consultation Report. pp100. 

until the seventeenth century. Coles, B. (2019). Avanke, bever, castor: the story of beavers in Wales. WARP, 114pp

one of Fiona’s students assessed.

A beaver hoiked out of a slurry pit by the RSPCA in 2012. ‘Beaver rescued from Roborough farmer’s slurry pit’, BBC News, 22 April 2012, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-17805465 

another pair escaped soon after.

given permission to stay. ‘Government says beavers can stay in their Devon home’, The Wildlife Trusts, 6 August 2020, https://www.wildlifetrusts.org/news/government-says-beavers-can-stay-their-devon-home 

announced yet another consultation period. ‘Approach to beaver reintroduction and

management in England’, DEFRA, August 2021, https://consult.defra.gov.uk/natural-environment-policy/beaver-reintroduction-and-management/supporting_documents/Consultation%20on%20beaver%20reintroduction%20and%20management_accessible.pdf 

species that imperil UK wildlife. See Patrick Barkham, ‘Pheasant and partridge classified as species that imperil UK wildlife’, The Guardian, 30 October 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/oct/30/pheasant-and-partridge-classified-as-species-that-imperil-uk-wildlife 

to avoid disturbance to game and disruption to shooting. See Charlie Moores, ‘Natural England protects shoots from “disturbance”’, The WAR ON WILDLIFE Project, 13 October 2020, https://waronwildlife.co.uk/2020/10/13/natural-england-protects-shoot-from-disturbance/ 

dumped them across the Ardennes in the middle of the night. See Derek Gow, Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways (Chelsea Green, 2020), pp. 94-97.

‘literally eaten out of house and home’. ‘Fish farmer sues after otters “ate him out of house and home”’, The Guardian, 26 February 2013, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/feb/26/fish-farmer-environment-agency-otters 

‘Oh my God, it’s a platypus. It literally is a platypus; Mum, that’s an actual platypus’ https://twitter.com/Blacky_Himself/status/1550456217943826438 accessed 15th August, 2022.

when it’s not wild. Nature Scot (2022) Updated non-native species risk assessment of feral pigs in Scotland. NatureScot Research Report 1288. https://www.nature.scot/doc/naturescot-research-report-1288-updated-non-native-species-risk-assessment-feral-pigs-scotland Accessed 15thAugust, 2022.

can’t cope with this. Kear A (op. cit. Willgress L). (2015) Village cricket club forced to close—because rampaging wild boar have left the pitch looking “like a war-zone”. Mail Online, 17 October 2015, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3277192/Village-cricket-club-forced-close-rampaging-wild-boar-left-pitch-looking-like-war-zone.html Accessed 15thAugust 2022.

similarly distressing tale to tell. Hughes J. (2020) Super strong fence to keep out wild boar to be built so Cinderford football club can play it's [sic] first home game in years. Gloucestershire Live. 9 September 2020. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/gloucester-news/football-wild-boar-forest-dean-4499737 Accessed 15thAugust 2022.

escaped from a farm near Ross-on-Wye. Forestry England. (2021) Background, population and management of boar in the Forest of Dean, updated 15 September 2021. https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/more-information-about-wild-boar.  Accessed 15th August, 2022.

western edge of the Forest near Staunton. Ibid.

indicating Japanese heritage. Frantz AC, Massei G, Burke T. (2012) Genetic evidence for past hybridisation between domestic pigs and English wild boars. Conservation Genetics. 13:1355-64. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10592-012-0379-1 

to the extinct form. IUCN. (2012) IUCN Guidelines for Reintroductions and Other Conservation Translocations, Gland, Switzerland. p. 6. http://www.issg.org/pdf/publications/translocation-guidelines-2012.pdf 

stable or slightly declining. Croft S, Franzetti B, Gill R, Massei, G. (2020) Too many wild boar? Modelling fertility control and culling to reduce wild boar numbers in isolated populations. PloS one, 15(9), p.e0238429.

survivorship also increasing. Vetter SG, Ruf T, Bieber C, Arnold W. (2015) What is a mild winter? Regional differences in within-species responses to climate change. Plos one. Jul 9;10(7):e0132178. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132178.

the rate of population growth. Vetter SG, Puskas Z, Bieber C, Ruf T. (2020) How climate change and wildlife management affect population structure in wild boars. Scientific Reports. 10:1-10. 

a lacklustre variation on the wild boar. Lutwyche R. (2019) The Pig: A Natural History. Princeton University Press, Princeton.p. 15. 

much shorter tusks than wild boars.  Ibid

Darwin reported changes of colour. Darwin C. (1868). The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Vol. 2). J Murray, London.

tapir, aardvark and giant anteater. The National Archives. The Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 (Modification) (No.2) Order 2007. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2007/2465/schedule/made Accessed 16th August, 2022.

between five and ten such deaths each year in the UK. Thackara J. (2005) If the terrorists don’t get you your socks will. 25 July 2005, http://thackara.com/mobility-design/if-the-terrorists-dont-get-you-your-socks-will/  Accessed 15th August 2022.

at least twenty deaths each year in France alone. York J. (2021) How often do hunting accidents happen in France? The Connexion, 2 November 2021. https://www.connexionfrance.com/article/French-news/How-often-do-hunting-accidents-happen-in-France Accessed 16thAugust 2022.

a dog was killed in the Forest. Anon. (2010) Warning to Forest of Dean dog owners after boar attacks’, BBC News, 28 May 2010. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/8711014.stm Accessed 16thAugust, 2022.

several newspapers have reported. See, for example, Hearn A (2015) Horrified couple watch dog savaged by WILD BOAR that jumped out on footpath. The Mirror, 9 April 2015. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/horrified-couple-watch-dog-savaged-5488199 Accessed 16th August, 2022.

‘Monkey selfie copyright dispute’. Anon (Wikipedia) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_selfie_copyright_dispute Accessed 16thAugust 2022/

the first successful mammal reintroduction. See, for example, Wilson K, Law A, Gaywood M, Ramsay P, Willby N. (2020). Beavers: The original engineers of Britain's fresh waters. British Wildlife. 31:403-411. 

marauding around farmland in broad daylight. Squires N. (2020) Wild boar chomping through crops in Italy because they have countryside to themselves. The Telegraph, 20 April 2020, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/20/wild-boar-chomping-crops-italy-have-countryside/ Accessed 16thAugust, 2022.

merciless, psychopathic killers. Hautzinger D. (2017) Helen Macdonald on the Wonderful, Optimistic World of Hawks, WTTW, 1 November 2017. https://interactive.wttw.com/playlist/2017/11/01/helen-macdonald-hawk Accessed 16thAugust, 2022.

best-surveyed areas of Britain. Powell J, Rayfield C. (2022) Foresters’ Forest Landscape Partnership Programme in the Forest of Dean: Final Evaluation 2022. https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/11129/1/CCRI_2022-05-03_ForestersForest_Final%20Evaluation%20Report-v5.pdf Accessed 15thAugust, 2022.

a nice coffee shop.  Bateman et al. (2014). Economic value of ecosystem services. Final Report from Work Package Report 3 to the UK National Ecosystem Assessment – Follow-On programme, Defra, London.

in a boar proof condition is their responsibility. Forestry England. (2022) Background, population and management of boar in the Forest of Dean, updated 15 September 2021.https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/more-information-about-wild-boar#:~:text=The%20Forest%20of%20Dean%20boar,the%20area%20during%20the%201990s. Accessed 16th August 2022. The original quotation has been slightly revised on the website whilst retaining the same meaning.

who remain sanguine about boar. Stannard, KG. (2011) Feral Wild Boar Management Plan, Forestry Commission, 8 September 2011, p. 9, https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/52f17869-2a6b-4a99-abe4-1d4d3057ecc3/downloads/1cv5vq595_934382.pdf?ver=1600874984081 Accessed 16th August 2022.

a right to exist in the countryside. Defra. (2006) Feral Wild Boar in England: a consultation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Summary of Responses, p. 12. Defra: UKGOV (no longer available on the .gov.uk website).

the mere 38% of the general population. Pheby C. (2020) Third of Brits would reintroduce wolves and lynxes to the UK, and a quarter want to bring back bears. YouGov, 28 January 2020, https://yougov.co.uk/topics/politics/articles-reports/2020/01/28/third-brits-would-reintroduce-wolves-and-lynxes-uk Accessed 15th August, 2022. 

swimming twenty miles or more. Lutwyche R. (2019) The Pig: A Natural History. Princeton University Press, Princeton.p. 22. 

cute video of boar rootling. https://enetwild.com/  Accessed 15th August, 2022.

since the Ice Age. Monbiot G. (2013) Feral: Rewilding the Land, Sea and Human Life. Allen Lane, London. p. 95.

90% of the boar’s diet Ballari SA, Barrios‐García MN. (2014). A review of wild boar Sus scrofadiet and factors affecting food selection in native and introduced ranges. Mammal Review. 44:124-34.

get pigs in it. Reebanks J. (2021) Public lecture at the University of Exeter, 15 November 2021. 

An experiment by Fiona’s colleague Chris Sandom Sandom CJ, Hughes J, Macdonald DW. (2013) Rooting for rewilding: quantifying wild boar's Sus scrofa rooting rate in the Scottish Highlands. Restoration Ecology. 21:329-35.

increased range of plant species and insect fauna to grow Forestry England. (2021) Background, population and management of boar in the Forest of Dean, Updated 15th September 2021. https://www.forestryengland.uk/article/more-information-about-wild-boar. Accessed 15th August, 2022. 

they’re eating frogs;  Yamamoto D. (2017) Wild Boar. Reaktion Books, London.

purple emperor butterflies in the country. Tree I. (2018) Wilding: The return of nature to a British farm. Picador, London. pp. 176-183.  

lament the scarcity of habitats. Foresters’ Forest. (2019) Our Stronghold for Nature. Interim Report. https://www.forestersforest.uk/assets/file/2020-03-19%20Biodiversity%20Projects%20Interim%20Report%20Jan%202020%20v2%20final%20LO%20RES.pdf Accessed 15thAugust, 2022.

contain food plants growing over bare earth. Butterfly Conservation. Grizzled Skippers. https://butterfly-conservation.org/sites/default/files/habitat-grizzled-skipper.pdfAccessed 15th August, 2022.

the Dutch have already carried out the research. de Schaetzen F, van Langevelde F, WallisDeVries MF. (2018) The influence of wild boar (Sus scrofa) on microhabitat quality for the endangered butterfly Pyrgus malvae in the Netherlands. Journal of Insect Conservation. 22:51-59.

to control the population. Anon.

There is only one reported case among free-living boar in Britain. Foyle KL, Delahay RJ, Massei G. Isolation of Mycobacterium bovis from a feral wild boar (Sus scrofa) in the UK. (2010). The Veterinary Record. 166: 663. (Paperback only).

TB in wildlife. TB hub. https://tbhub.co.uk/tb-in-wildlife/ Accessed 16thAugust, 2022.

controlling swine fever. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Scottish Government, and Welsh Government. (2020) Disease control strategy for African and Classical Swine Fever in Great Britain August 2014, updated March 2020. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/877081/disease-control-strategy-csf-2020a.pdf Accessed 15th August, 2022.

700,000 infected pigs and the proactive slaughter of a further 1.1 million animals, Elbers ARW, Stegeman A, Moser H, Ekker HM, Smak JA, Pluimers FH. (1999) The classical swine fever epidemic 1997-1998 in the Netherlands: descriptive epidemiology. Preventative Veterinary Medicine. 42: 157-184.

China’s pig herd halved. Lu G, Cai S, Zhang G. (2019) African swine fever in China one year on. Veterinary Record. 185: 542.

blamed in a roundabout way for coronavirus. Grover N. (2021) Deadly pig disease could have led to Covid spillover to humans, analysis suggests. The Guardian. 10 March 2021, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/mar/10/deadly-pig-disease-could-have-led-to-covid-spillover-to-humans-analysis-suggests  Accessed 16th August, 2022.

with 23,700 pigs. ter Beek V. (2020). ASF Poland: First outbreak on farm in Western Poland. Pig Progress. 23 March 2020, https://www.pigprogress.net/health-nutrition/asf-poland-first-outbreak-on-farm-in-western-poland/ Accessed 16thAugust, 2022

seasonal population cycles. Geisser H, Reyer HU. (2005). The influence of food and temperature on population density of wild boar Sus scrofa in the Thurgau (Switzerland). Journal of Zoology. 267: 89-96, 10.1017/S095283690500734X

wild boar famine. Walker BL (2001). Commercial growth and environmental change in early modern Japan: Hachinohe's wild boar famine of 1749. The Journal of Asian Studies. 60: 329-51.

all guns blazing. Woźniakowski G, Pejsak Z, Jabłoński A. (2021) Emergence of African Swine Fever in Poland (2014–2021). Successes and Failures in Disease Eradication. Agriculture. 11:738.

jumped a considerable distance.Van Dooren, K. (2020) ASF is a growing problem for Poland. Pig Progress. 29 July 2020, https://www.pigprogress.net/health-nutrition/asf-is-a-growing-problem-for-poland/ Accessed 16thAugust, 2022.

banned recreational hunting. Defra. (2019) African swine fever in wild boar in Belgium. Disease Report. Defra, London .https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/909802/asf-belgium-update3.pdf Accessed 15thAugust, 2022.

remove the animals from the estate. National Trust. (2018) Our statement regarding wild boars at Stourhead 19 November 2018. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/press-release/our-statement-regarding-wild-boars-at-stourhead Accessed 16th August, 2022.

a Feral Wild Boar Action Plan. Defra. (2008) Feral wild boar in England: An action plan, DEFRA, 2008. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/52f17869-2a6b-4a99-abe4-1d4d3057ecc3/downloads/1cv5v70tl_764952.pdf?ver=1564585024093  Accessed 16th August, 2022.

doctoral research at the University of Cardiff. O’Mahony K. (2019) Feral Bo(a)rderlands: living with and governing wild boar in the Forest of Dean, PhD thesis, University of Cardiff. https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/131010/1/Feral%20Bo%28a%29rderlands-%20living%20with%20and%20governing%20wild%20boar%20in%20the%20Forest%20of%20Dean.pdf

split wildlife into three categories.  The National Archives. Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/69/schedule/9/2015-03-05and Environment Act 2015 https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2015/7/enactedAccessed 16th August 2022.

the second most abundant carnivore after weasels. Yalden D. (2010) The history of British mammals. A&C Black, London. 

happens to mean ‘Tuesday Tuesday’ in Spanish. Birks J. (2017) Pine Martens. Whittet Books, Epping. p. 7. 

halted the Large Hadron Collider. Franzen C. (2016) CERN Confirms: Large Hadron Collider Downed By Small Beech Marten. Popular Science, 3 May 2016. https://www.popsci.com/cern-confirms-large-hadron-collider-downed-by-small-beech-marten/ Accessed 16th August, 2022.

a 20% increase on 2016. Birks J. (2017) Pine Martens. Whittet Books, Epping. pp. 22-25.

some have evolved out of it. Lindenfors P, Dalèn L, Angerbjörn A. (2003) The monophyletic origin of delayed implantation in carnivores and its implications. Evolution. 57:1952-1956. 

exceptionally large for the size of the animal. Hurrell HG. (1963) Pine Martens. Sunday Times Publications, p. 10.

our meat and drink. Birks J. (2017) Pine Martens. Whittet Books, Epping. p. 5.

bird species reintroductions a 50% chance of success and mammals far less than that. Fischer J, Lindenmayer DB. (2000) An assessment of the published results of animal relocations. Biological Conservation. 96:1-11.

Wolf CM, Garland Jr T, Griffith B. (1998) Predictors of avian and mammalian translocation success: reanalysis with phylogenetically independent contrasts. Biological Conservation. 86:243-55.

US National Audubon Society website. https://www.audubon.org/news/ 

returned to captivity. Steutermann Rogers K. (2020) The Hawaiian Crow Is Once Again Extinct in the Wild. Audubon. 16 October 2020. https://www.audubon.org/news/the-hawaiian-crow-once-again-extinct-wild Accessed 16th August, 2022.

random releases of captive-bred species. Barkham P. (2020) How maverick rewilders are trying to turn back the tide of extinction. The Guardian. 13 October 2020, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/13/maverick-rewilders-endangered-species-extinction-conservation-uk-wildlife accessed 16th August, 2022. Also James Bullock, https://twitter.com/JMBecologist/status/1315903147353739264 Accessed 16th August, 2022.

opposed pine marten translocation projects altogether. Jordan NR. (2011) A strategy for restoring the pine marten to England and Wales. Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury. P.7.

an article taking a passing swipe. Adams G, Fernandez C. (2020) Lies of the “rewilding” toff. Mail Online, 24 July 2020, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8558127/10-11-rewilding-toff.html Accessed 16th August, 2022.

start eating inwards. Pullar P. (2020) A Richness of Martens: Wildlife Tales from the Highlands. Birlinn, Edinburgh, p. 41.

91% of locals supported. MacPherson J. (2014). Feasibility Assessment for Reinforcing Pine Marten Numbers in England and Wales. Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury. p. 53.

I’d rather have the pigeons. Bavin D, MacPherson J, Denman H, Crowley SL, McDonald RA. (2020) Using Q‐methodology to understand stakeholder perspectives on a carnivore translocation. People and Nature. 2(4):1117-30. 

Between 30% and 70% of the den boxes. Croose E, Birks JD, Martin J. (2016) Den boxes as a tool for pine marten Martes martes conservation and population monitoring in a commercial forest in Scotland. Conservation Evidence.13:57-61.

We know that numbers are holding up. MacPherson J, Croose E, Powell C, Carter S, O’Reilly C. (2020) Preliminary work towards a sustainable harvesting model of pine martens in Scotland for translocations. Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury. https://www.vwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/FEReportMarch2020Final.pdf

reintroduced by Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust. https://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/project-pine-marten  Accessed 17th August, 2022.

deliriously happy foresters. Sheehy E, Sutherland C, O'Reilly C, Lambin X. (2018) The enemy of my enemy is my friend: native pine marten recovery reverses the decline of the red squirrel by suppressing grey squirrel populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 285:20172603.

Twining JP, Montgomery WI, Tosh DG. (2021) Declining invasive grey squirrel populations may persist in refugia as native predator recovery reverses squirrel species replacement. Journal of Applied Ecology. 58:248-260.

without a care in the world. Twining JP, Ian Montgomery W, Price L, Kunc HP, Tosh DG. (2020) Native and invasive squirrels show different behavioural responses to scent of a shared native predator. Royal Society Open Science. 7:191841.

naïve juveniles or youngsters raided from nests. Twining JP, Montgomery WI, Tosh DG. (2020) The dynamics of pine marten predation on red and grey squirrels. Mammalian Biology. 100:285-93.

the predators they are. Anson JR, Dickman CR. (2013) Behavioral responses of native prey to disparate predators: naiveté and predator recognition. Oecologia. 171:367-377.

Bytheway JP, Banks PB. (2019) Overcoming prey naiveté: Free‐living marsupials develop recognition and effective behavioral responses to alien predators in Australia. Global Change Biology. 25:1685-1695.

grey squirrels are extraordinarily fast learners. Chow PK, Clayton NS, Steele MA. (2021) Cognitive performance of wild eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) in rural and urban, native, and non-native environments. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. 26;9:615899.

Outwitting Squirrels. Adler B. (1996). Outwitting Squirrels: 101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed from Your Birdfeeder by Squirrels. Chicago Review Press, Chicago.

on a pine marten’s carte du jour Twining JP, Montgomery I, Tosh DG. (2020) The dynamics of pine marten predation on red and grey squirrels. Mammalian Biology. 100:285-93.

Twining J, Birks J, Martin J, Tosh D. (2018) Food caching as observed through use of den boxes by European pine martens (Martes martes). Mammal Communications. 2:1-6.

avoiding becoming lunch Hernández L, Laundré JW (2005). Foraging in the ‘landscape of fear’and its implications for habitat use and diet quality of elk Cervus elaphus and bison Bison bison. Wildlife Biology.11:215-220.

their distributions or behaviours are changed Samelius G, Andrén H, Kjellander P, Liberg O (2013) Habitat selection and risk of predation: re-colonization by lynx had limited impact on habitat selection by Roe Deer. PLoS one. 8:1–8 

Nicholson KL, Milleret C, Månsson J, Sand H. (2014) Testing the risk of predation hypothesis: the influence of recolonizing wolves on habitat use by moose. Oecologia 176:69–80. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3004-9

Sand H, Jamieson M, Andrén H, Wikenros C, Cromsigt J, Månsson J. (2021) Behavioral effects of wolf presence on moose habitat selection: testing the landscape of fear hypothesis in an anthropogenic landscape. Oecologia.197:101-116.

and the first twenty reintroduced pine martens McNicol CM, Bavin D, Bearhop S, Ferryman M, Gill R, Goodwin CE, MacPherson J, Silk MJ, McDonald RA. (2020) Translocated native pine martens Martes martes alter short‐term space use by invasive non‐native grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis. Journal of Applied Ecology. 57:903-913.

vigilance behaviour of elk studied in Canada Ciuti S, Northrup JM, Muhly TB, Simi S, Musiani M, Pitt JA, Boyce MS. (2012) Effects of humans on behaviour of wildlife exceed those of natural predators in a landscape of fear. PloS one. 7(11):e50611.

are driven mainly by hunters and not wolves Proudman NJ, Churski M, Bubnicki JW, Nilsson JÅ, Kuijper DP. (2020) Red deer allocate vigilance differently in response to spatio-temporal patterns of risk from human hunters and wolves. Wildlife Research. 48:163-174.

Theuerkauf J, Rouys S.(2008) Habitat selection by ungulates in relation to predation risk by wolves and humans in the Białowieża Forest, Poland. Forest Ecology and Management. 256(6):1325-1332.

the effects are beneficial.  Twining JP, Montgomery WI, Tosh DG. (2021) Declining invasive grey squirrel populations may persist in refugia as native predator recovery reverses squirrel species replacement. Journal of Applied Ecology. 58:248-260.

even in the places where martens were most active McNicol CM, Bavin D, Bearhop S, Ferryman M, Gill R, Goodwin CE, MacPherson J, Silk MJ, McDonald RA. (2020) Translocated native pine martens Martes martes alter short‐term space use by invasive non‐native grey squirrels Sciurus carolinensis. Journal of Applied Ecology. 57:903-913.

footage online of two capercaillies fighting. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWnsyR7nIM0 Accessed 17th August, 2022.

survey in 2009. Ewing SR, Eaton MA, Poole TF, Davies M, Haysom, S. (2012). The size of the Scottish population of Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus: results of the fourth national survey. Bird Study 59: 126–138. doi: 10.1080/00063657.2011.652937 

probably around 700 birds remaining. Review of Capercaillie Conservation and Management - Report to the Scientific Advisory Committee. NatureScot. https://www.nature.scot/doc/review-capercaillie-conservation-and-management-report-scientific-advisory-committee Accessed 17th August, 2022.

most important appear to be habitat and weather. Coppes J, Kämmerle JL, Schroth KE, Braunisch V, Suchant R. (2021) Weather conditions explain reproductive success and advancement of the breeding season in Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). Ibis.163:990-1003.

Baines D, Moss R, Dugan D. (2004) Capercaillie breeding success in relation to forest habitat and predator abundance. Journal of Applied Ecology. 1:59-71.

deer fences and wind turbine masts. Moss R, Picozzi N, Summers RW, Baines D. (2000) Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in Scotland‐demography of a declining population. Ibis. 142:259-267.

Coppes J, Kämmerle JL, Grünschachner-Berger V, Braunisch V, Bollmann K, Mollet P, Suchant R, Nopp-Mayr U. (2020) Consistent effects of wind turbines on habitat selection of capercaillie across Europe. Biological Conservation. 244:108529.

same as average nest loss rates elsewhere in Europe Summers RW, Willi J, Selvidge J. (2009) Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus nest loss and attendance at Abernethy Forest, Scotland. Wildlife Biology. 15:319-27.

pine marten abundance/activity index. Baines D, Moss R, Dugan D. (2004) Capercaillie breeding success in relation to forest habitat and predator abundance. Journal of Applied Ecology. 41:59-71.

impacting upon capercaillie breeding success. Baines D, Aebischer N, MacLeod A, Woods J. (2011) Assessing the activity of predators in relation to capercaillie hen densities and breeding performance. Scottish Natural Heritage Commissioned Report. No. 415. SNH. Available: https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/26363001/assessing-the-activity-of-predators-in-relation-to-capercaillie-hen- Accessed 18th August, 2022. A further analysis of largely the same data was published by some of the same authors in 2016, this time suggesting that there was a link between pine marten abundance and reduced nesting success. The difference between these analyses hinges on the way in which weather is accounted for in the analysis. 

measurable impact on the Scottish capercaillie population. Review of Capercaillie Conservation and Management - Report to the Scientific Advisory Committee. NatureScot. https://www.nature.scot/doc/review-capercaillie-conservation-and-management-report-scientific-advisory-committee Accessed 17th August, 2022.

wasted on pine martens. Scottish Gamekeepers Association (2022). Capercaillie Research Vindicates Scottish Gamekeepers. https://www.scottishgamekeepers.co.uk/latest-news/2022/2022-02-25-news.php Accessed 17th August, 2022.

reintroduction to other parts of the UK. ‘Measures to save capercaillie outlined’, NatureScot, 25 February 2022, https://www.nature.scot/measures-save-capercaillie-outlined Accessed 18th August, 2022.

to feed their hungry kits. Twining J, Birks J, Martin J, Tosh D. (2018) Food caching as observed through use of den boxes by European pine martens (Martes martes). Mammal Communications. 4:1-6.

even for Mr Tickle. Kaliński A, Wawrzyniak J, Bańbura M, Skwarska J, Zieliński P, Glądalski M, Bańbura J. (2014) Does the threat of European Pine Marten (Martes martes) predation influence the height of nests built by Blue Tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) and Great Tits (Parus major)? Avian Biology Research. 7(2):83-90.

6.8 billion water voles. Jefferies D. (2003) Changes in the Population of the Water Vole in Britain, in Jefferies (ed.) The Water Vole and Mink Survey of Britain 1996-1998. Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury. p. 142.

Seven Lochs Wetland Park. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BNGPJBzNy8Accessed 18th August, 2022.

how best to control their populations. See, for example, Sage M, Cœurdassier M, Defaut R, Gimbert F, Berny P, Giraudoux P. (2008) Kinetics of bromadiolone in rodent populations and implications for predators after field control of the water vole, Arvicola terrestris. Science of the Total Environment. 407:211-222.

Foltête JC, Couval G, Fontanier M, Vuidel G, Giraudoux P (2016). A graph-based approach to defend agro-ecological systems against water vole outbreaks. Ecological Indicators. 71:87-98.

With the possible recent exception of Italy. Mori E, Mazza G. (2019) Diet of a semiaquatic invasive mammal in northern Italy: Could it be an alarming threat to the endemic water vole?. Mammalian Biology. 97:88-94.

outnumbered riparians by about twenty-nine to one. Jefferies D. (2003) Changes in the Population of the Water Vole in Britain, in Jefferies (ed.) The Water Vole and Mink Survey of Britain 1996-1998. Vincent Wildlife Trust, Ledbury. p. 142.

the historical descriptions speak for themselves. Dempster JA. (2018) Uncovering the Earth Hound The Pole Road. 19 June 2018. https://thepoleroad.wordpress.com/2018/06/19/uncovering-the-earth-hound/Accessed 18th August 2022.

mink farms started to spread across Britain. Yalden DW. (1999). The History of British Mammals. Poyser, London.

Denmark culled 15 million mink. ‘Covid: Denmark to dig up millions of mink culled over virus’, BBC News, 21 December 2020, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55391272  Accessed 18th August , 2022.

fewer than 6% of surveyed sites. Lenton EJ, Chanin PRF, Jefferies DJ. (1980). Otter Survey of England 1977-79. Nature Conservancy Council, London.

Surveys in Wales and southern Scotland weren’t much more successful. Crawford A, Evans D, Jones A, McNulty J. (1979) Otter survey of Wales 1977-78. Society for the Promotion of Nature Conservation, Nettleham.

Green J, Green R. (1980) Otter Survey of Scotland 1977-79. Vincent Wildlife Trust, London.

The latest research in Wales. Kean EF, Chadwick EA. (2021). Otter Survey of Wales 2015-2018. NRW Report No: 519. Natural Resources Wales. https://cdn.cyfoethnaturiol.cymru/media/694539/osw-6th-report-final.pdf

performed hundreds of autopsies on dead otters and mink. Simpson VR.(2006) Patterns and significance of bite wounds in Eurasian otters (Lutra lutra) in southern and south‐west England. Veterinary Record. 158(4):113-9.

mink were declining. McDonald RA, O’Hara K, Morrish DJ. (2007) Decline of invasive alien mink (Mustela vison) is concurrent with recovery of native otters (Lutra lutra). Diversity and Distributions. 13(1):92-8.

water voles were holding their own. Macdonald DW (1999). The mink and the water vole: analyses for conservation. Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, University of Oxford, UK.

mink scats become difficult to detect in places where there are otters. Harrington LA, Birks J, Chanin P, Tansley D. (2020) Current status of American mink Neovison vison in Great Britain: a review of the evidence for a population decline. Mammal Review. 50(2):157-169.

advertises its presence to a heavyweight killer. Harrington LA, Macdonald DW. (2015) Riparian mustelids in the Upper Thames: a case of alien invasives versus native competitors. In: Macdonald DW, Feber R (eds) Wildlife Conservation on Farmland. Volume 2 Conflict in the Countryside, 148–164. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK 

excellent scientific research led by Xavier Lambin. Bryce R, Oliver MK, Davies L, Gray H, Urquhart J, Lambin X. (2011) Turning back the tide of American mink invasion at an unprecedented scale through community participation and adaptive management. Biological Conservation. 144(1):575-583.

impact of culling is partly offset by better breeding success. Melero Y, Robinson E, Lambin X. (2015) Density-and age-dependent reproduction partially compensates culling efforts of invasive non-native American mink. Biological Invasions. 2015 17(9):2645-57. 

The Scottish Mink Initiative has now expanded. Scottish Invasive Species Initiative. https://www.invasivespecies.scot/mink-control-project#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20Invasive%20Species%20Initiative,are%20trapped%20and%20humanely%20dispatched. Accessed 22nd August, 2022.

Scotland’s enviable Land Reform Act (2003). https://www.outdooraccess-scotland.scot/act-and-access-code/land-reform-act/land-reform-act-legal Accessed 22nd August, 2022.

underway in East Anglia. Waterlife Recovery East https://waterliferecoveryeast.org.uk/ Accessed 22ndAugust, 2022.

mink numbers may again be rising. Pyatt C. (2017) Clearing the way for Norfolk’s water voles: an analysis of the Norfolk Mink Control Project (up to end 2016). The Norfolk Mink Project. https ://thenorfolk minkproject.org.uk Accessed 22ndAugust, 2022.

Useful though the project may be locally.  Coomber F, McFarlan E, Gelling M, Le Marquand C, Mathews F, Scott D, Smith G. (2022) Water Vole Species Conservation Strategy Baseline Evidence Development. A pilot study for East Anglia. Natural England Research Report. Natural England, Peterborough. 

water voles operate on a four-hour cycle. Strachan, R. (1997) Water Voles. Whittet Books, Epping. pp. 36-37.

birds with bizarre upturned beaks. ‘Island restored for bird with bizarre upturned beak’, RSPB, 15 July 2009, https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/our-work/rspb-news/news/details.aspx?id=tcm:9-222555 

reported by a real scientific team. Dunstan DJ, Hodgson DJ. 2014. Snails Home. Physica Scripta 89:068002 

as crashing catastrophically. Strachan C, Strachan R, Jeffries DJ. (2000) Preliminary report on the changes in the water vole population of Britain as shown by the national surveys of 1989-1990 and 1996-1998. Vincent Wildlife Trust, London. 

Planted coir can actually provide good water vole habitat. Dean M, Strachan R, Gow D, Andrews R. Eds. Mathews F, Chanin P. (2016). The water vole mitigation handbook. Mammal Society, London.

ponds that provide refuges Brzeziński M, Chibowska P, Zalewski A, Borowik T, Komar E. (2018) Water vole Arvicola amphibius population under the impact of the American mink Neovison vison: Are small midfield ponds safe refuges against this invasive predator? Mammalian Biology 93(1):182-188.

have all but vanished. Rackham O. (1986) The history of the countryside: the classic history of Britain’s landscape, flora and fauna. Dent, London, UK.

Wood PJ, Greenwood MT, Agnew MD. (2003) Pond biodiversity and habitat loss in the UK. Area. 35:206-216.

a booklet for farmers about land drainage Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. (2018) Field Drainage Guide. AHDB, Kenilworth. https://projectblue.blob.core.windows.net/media/Default/Imported%20Publication%20Docs/Field%20drainage%20guide%200818.pdf. Accessed 23rd August, 2022.

damage to biodiversity. Newton I. (2004) The recent declines of farmland bird populations in Britain: an appraisal of causal factors and conservation actions. Ibis 146(4): 579-600

similar work previously for the Welsh Government.

a higher population density of water voles. Moorhouse TP, Gelling M, Macdonald DW. (2008) Effects of Forage Availability on Growth and Maturation Rates in Water Voles. Journal of Animal Ecology 77(6): 1288–1295. 

than they are along narrower strips. Moorhouse TP, Gelling M, Macdonald DW (2009). Effects of habitat quality upon reintroduction success in water voles: evidence from a replicated experiment. Biological Conservation. 142(1):53-60.

areas with the greatest human disturbance. Stewart RA, Clark TJ, Shelton J, Stringfellow M, Scott C, White SA, McCafferty DJ. (2007) Urban grasslands support threatened water voles. Journal of Urban Ecology 3(1):jux007. 

can reach 2600 per square kilometre. Telfer S, Dallas JF, Aars J, Piertney SB, Stewart WA, Lambin X. (2003) Demographic and genetic structure of fossorial water voles (Arvicola terrestris) on Scottish islands. Journal of Zoology 259(1):23-29. 

water voles came to Britain in two distinct waves. Brace S, Ruddy M, Miller R, Schreve DC, Stewart JR, Barnes I. (2016) The colonization history of British water vole (Arvicola amphibius (Linnaeus, 1758)): Origins and development of the Celtic fringe. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 283(1829):20160130. 

as 109 grams. Stewart RA, Jarrett C, Scott C, White SA, McCafferty DJ. (2019) Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) abundance in grassland habitats of Glasgow. Glasgow Naturalist 27(1):10-19.  

a water vole needs to be at least 170 grams. Strachan S. (1997) Water Voles, Whittet Books, Epping. p. 58.

and is sometimes harmful to crops. ‘Kids Definition of vole’, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/voleAccessed 25th August, 2022.

a separate species Arvicola scherman. Panteleyev PA. (2001) The water vole: mode of the species. Nauka 528

natural flexibility in behaviour and morphology. Kryštufek B, Koren T, Engelberger S, Horváth G, Purger J, Arslan A, Chişamera G, Murariu D. (2015) Fossorial morphotype does not make a species in water voles. Mammalia 79: 293-303. 

Chevret P, Renaud S, Helvaci Z, Ulrich RG, Quéré JP, Michaux JR. (2020) Genetic structure, ecological versatility, and skull shape differentiation in Arvicolawater voles (Rodentia, Cricetidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 58(4):1323-1334.

adopt fossorial habits if they escape into a field. Cooper P (2021) quoting Derek Gow. Vole out of water: a history of terrestrial Water Voles in Britain British Wildlife 32: 476.

has very limited information. European Environment Agency. Arvicola scherman, Shaw1801. https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species/11829Accessed 25th August, 2022.

when thirty traps were stolen. Stewart RA. (2016) The ecology of the water vole (Arvicola amphibius) in grassland habitats in the City of Glasgow.  PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, p. 31.

tersely reported as ‘verbal threats’. Stewart RA. (2016) The ecology of the water vole (Arvicola amphibius) in grassland habitats in the City of Glasgow.  PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, p. 56.

spearing the newly-reintroducted water voles. Gow D. (2020) Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways. Chelsea Green, Vermont, p. 48. 

estimates of 78 and 42 individuals. Stewart RA, Jarrett C, Scott C, White SA, McCafferty DJ. (2019) Water vole (Arvicola amphibius) abundance in grassland habitats of Glasgow. Glasgow Naturalist. 27(1):10-19. 

switch between wetland and grassland habitat. See, for example, Stewart RA. (2016)  The ecology of the water vole (Arvicola amphibius) in grassland habitats in the City of Glasgow’, PhD thesis, University of Glasgow, 93-94.

doesn’t extend to the animal itself.  NatureScot. Protected species: water vole. https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/protected-areas-and-species/protected-species/protected-species-z-guide/protected-species-water-volesAccessed 25th August, 2022.

A map has recently been published online. McCafferty D, Nelli L. Water Vole Habitat Suitability Map version 1.1 http://boydorr.gla.ac.uk/lucanelli/watervole/. Accessed 25th August, 2022. 

See also Nelli L, Schehl B, Stewart RA, Scott C, Ferguson S, MacMillan S, McCafferty DJ. (2022) Predicting habitat suitability and connectivity for management and conservation of urban wildlife: A real‐time web application for grassland water voles. Journal of Applied Ecology 59(4):1072-1085.

not all bats are nocturnal Chua MA, Aziz SA. (2019). Into the light: atypical diurnal foraging activity of Blyth’s horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus lepidus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) on Tioman Island, Malaysia. Mammalia. 83(1): 78-83.

On the IUCN European Red List. European Environment Agency (2019. Greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, 1774) https://eunis.eea.europa.eu/species/1544 Accessed 27th August, 2022.

pulses out sounds He W, Pedersen SC, Gupta AK, Simmons JA, Müller R. (2015) Lancet Dynamics in Greater Horseshoe Bats, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. PLoS ONE. 10(4): e0121700. 

potentially better alternatives. Koselj K, Schnitzler HU, Siemers BM. (2011) Horseshoe bats make adaptive prey-selection decisions, informed by echo cues. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 278(1721):3034-3041.

to make distinct songs Andrews MM, Andrews PT, Wills DF, Bevis SM. (2006) Ultrasound social calls of greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in a hibernaculum. Acta Chiropterologica. 8(1): 197-212.

Ma J, Kobayasi K, Zhang S, Metzner W. (2006). Vocal communication in adult greater horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum.Journal of Comparative Physiology A. 192(5): 535-550.

passing females to visit Andrews MM, Andrews PT, Wills DF, Bevis SM. (2006) Ultrasound social calls of greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) in a hibernaculum. Acta Chiropterologica. 8(1): 197-212.

he inserts his penis Liu Y, Metzner W, Feng J. (2013). Vocalization during copulation behavior in greater horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. Chinese Science Bulletin. 58(18): 2179-2184.

TLS The leaf-nosed bats of South America somehow lost this adaptation but evolved something similar, with the tendons holding together by friction. See:

Simmons NB, Quinn TH. (1994) Evolution of the digital tendon locking mechanism in bats and dermopterans: a phylogenetic perspective. Journal of Mammalian Evolution. 2(4):231-254.

can’t extend its knees fully Kobayashi M. (2018) Anatomical attributes of the Musculus quadriceps femoris responsible for poor crawling ability in the Greater Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). International Journal of Morphology 36: 69-73.

greater horseshoes in Britain Finch D, Schofield H, Firth JA, Mathews F. (2022). Social networks of the greater horseshoe bat during the hibernation season: a landscape-scale case study. Animal Behaviour. 188: 25-34.

sleeping to occur Trachsel L, Edgar DM, Heller HC. (1991) Are ground squirrels sleep deprived during hibernation? American Journal of Physiology 260:R1123–R1129.

snacks for greater horseshoes Ransome RD. (2002) Winter feeding studies on greater horseshoe bats No. 449- English Nature Research Reports. Peterborough, England.

once or twice a week for much of the winter Park KJ, Jones G, Ransome RD. (2000) Torpor, arousal and activity of hibernating greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). Functional Ecology. 14:580-588.

Finch D, Schofield H, Firth JA, Mathews F. (2022) Social networks of the greater horseshoe bat during the hibernation season: a landscape-scale case study. Animal Behaviour. 188:25-34.

White-nose syndrome Cheng TL, Reichard JD, Coleman JT, Weller TJ, Thogmartin WE, Reichert BE, Bennett AB, Broders HG, Campbell J, Etchison K, Feller DJ. (2021) The scope and severity of white‐nose syndrome on hibernating bats in North America. Conservation Biology. 35:1586-1597.

with annual flailing Finch D, Schofield H, Mathews F. (2020) Habitat associations of bats in an agricultural landscape: Linear features versus open habitats. Animals 10: 1856-1866.

inbred than populations in mainland Europe Tournayre O, Pons JB, Leuchtmann M, Leblois R, Piry S, Filippi‐Codaccioni O, Loiseau A, Duhayer J, Garin I, Mathews F, Puechmaille S. (2019) Integrating population genetics to define conservation units from the core to the edge of Rhinolophus ferrumequinum western range. Ecology and Evolution. 9: 12272-12290.

colony’s long-term survival prospects Rossiter SJ, Jones G, Ransome RD, Barratt EM. (2001) Outbreeding increases offspring survival in wild greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 268(1471):1055-1061.

as digestibility falls by about 0.5% a day. ‘Step 1. Cutting’ https://www.cuttoclamp.com/step-1-cutting. Accessed 14th September, 2022. 

small mammals that are disappearing fast from the countryside. Coomber FG, Smith BR, August TA, Harrower CA, Powney GD, Mathews F. (2021) Using biological records to infer long-term occupancy trends of mammals in the UK. Biological Conservation 264:109362.

particular risk from roads Fensome AG, Mathews F. (2016) Roads and bats: a meta‐analysis and review of the evidence on vehicle collisions and barrier effects. Mammal Review. 46(4): 311-323.

constraint on greater horseshoe movement through the landscape Finch D, Corbacho DP, Schofield H, Davison S, Wright PG, Broughton RK, Mathews F. (2020) Modelling the functional connectivity of landscapes for greater horseshoe bats Rhinolophus ferrumequinum at a local scale. Landscape Ecology. 35: 577-589.

when the bats refused to come out at all. Zeale MR, Bennitt E, Newson SE, Packman C, Browne WJ, Harris S, Jones G, Stone E. (2016) Mitigating the impact of bats in historic churches: the response of Natterer’s bats Myotis nattereri to artificial roosts and deterrence. PloS one. 2016 11(1):e0146782.

buildings are illuminated Rydell J, Michaelsen TC, Sanchez-Navarro S, Eklöf J. (2021) How to leave the church: light avoidance by brown long-eared bats. Mammalian Biology. 101(6):979-986.

vulnerable to predators Speakman JR. (1991) Why do insectivorous bats in Britain not fly in daylight more frequently? Functional Ecology. Jan 1:518-24.

recorded in bats in locations with few avian predators.  Bôlla DA, Carvalho F, Zocche JJ, Bianco A, Vitto JA, dos Santos R. (2017) Phyllostomid bats flying in daylight: a case from the Neotropics. Journal of Natural History. 51(47-48):2947-2953.

Russo D, Maglio G, Rainho A, Meyer CF, Palmeirim JM. (2011) Out of the dark: diurnal activity in the bat Hipposideros ruber on São Tomé island (West Africa). Mammalian Biology. 76(6):701-8.

noise was switched off Finch D, Schofield H, Mathews F. (2020) Traffic noise playback reduces the activity and feeding behaviour of free-living bats. Environmental Pollution. 263: 114405.

even puny females will breed in most years Ward HL, Ransome RD, Jones G, Rossiter SJ. (2014). Determinants and patterns of reproductive success in the Greater Horseshoe bat during a population recovery. PloS One, 9(2), p.e87199.

rather deflating explanations Brindle M, Opie C. (2016) Postcopulatory sexual selection influences baculum evolution in primates and carnivores. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 283(1844):20161736.

Jakovlić I.  (2021) The missing human baculum: a victim of conspecific aggression and budding self‐awareness? Mammal Review. 2021 51(3):454-464.

also had prickly penises McLean CY, Reno PL, Pollen AA, Bassan AI, Capellini TD, Guenther C, Indjeian VB, Lim X, Menke DB, Schaar BT, Wenger AM. (2011) Human-specific loss of regulatory DNA and the evolution of human-specific traits. Nature. 471(7337):216-219.

out of the way Lee JH. (2020). Vaginal plug formation and release in female hibernating Korean greater horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus ferrumequinum korai (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) during the annual reproductive cycle. Zoomorphology. 139(1): 123-129.

known to enjoy oral sex Maruthupandian J, Marimuthu G. (2013) Cunnilingus apparently increases duration of copulation in the Indian flying fox, Pteropus giganteus. PLoS one. 27;8(3):e59743.

Tan M, Jones G, Zhu G, Ye J, Hong T, Zhou S, Zhang S, Zhang L. Fellatio by fruit bats prolongs copulation time. (2009) PLoS one. 28;4(10):e7595.

to father her one precious baby each year Pfeiffer B, Mayer F. (2013) Spermatogenesis, sperm storage and reproductive timing in bats. Journal of Zoology. 289(2): 77-85.  

ripe old age of twenty-four Ward HL, Ransome RD, Jones G, Rossiter SJ. (2014) Determinants and patterns of reproductive success in the Greater Horseshoe bat during a population recovery. PloS one. 9(2), p.e87199.

with poor springs Ransome RD, McOwat TP. (1994) Birth timing and population changes in greater horseshoe bat colonies (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum) are synchronized by climatic temperature. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 112(3):337-351.

to survive hibernation Ransome RD. (1998) The impact of maternity roost conditions on populations of greater horseshoe bats. English Nature Research Reports No. 292. English Nature, Peterborough, UK.

identified each other correctly Matsumura S. (1979) Mother-infant communication in a horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum nippon): development of vocalization. Journal of Mammalogy. 60(1):76-84.

or comfort call Matsumura S. (1981) Mother-infant communication in a horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum nippon): vocal communication in three-week-old infants. Journal of Mammalogy. 62(1):20-28.

outstrip those seen in other locations Wright PG, Kitching T, Hanniffy R, Palacios MB, McAney K, Schofield H. (2022) Effect of roost management on populations trends of Rhinolophus hipposideros and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum in Britain and Ireland. Conservation Evidence. 19:21-26.

ever heard in this House. Rory Stewart’s speech: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqTkLoekm_0Accessed 15th September, 2022.

about 4% per annum. Roos S, Johnston A, Noble D. (2012) UK hedgehog datasets and their potential for long-term monitoring. BTO Research Report 598:1-63.

about 10% since 2000. Department for Transport. Road Traffic Forecasts 2018. Moving Britain Ahead. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/873929/road-traffic-forecasts-2018-document.pdf Accessed 15th September 2022. 

killed on our roads every year. Wembridge D, Newman MR, Bright P, Morris P. (2016) An estimate of the annual number of hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) road casualties in Great Britain’. Mammal Communications. 2:8-14.

researching road casualty hotspots Wright PG, Coomber FG, Bellamy CC, Perkins SE, Mathews F. (2020) Predicting hedgehog mortality risks on British roads using habitat suitability modelling. PeerJ. Jan 21;7:e8154.

on the Mammal Society website. Hedgehog Hotspots https://www.mammal.org.uk/science-research/hedgehog-hotspots/ Accessed 15th September, 2022

to escape their stripy nemesis. Doncaster CP. (1992) Testing the role of intraguild predation in regulating hedgehog populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 249(1324):113-117.

increased in areas where badgers were culled. Trewby ID, Young R, McDonald RA, Wilson GJ, Davison J, Walker N, Robertson A, Doncaster CP, Delahay RJ. (2014) Impacts of removing badgers on localised counts of hedgehogs. Plos one. Apr 15;9(4):e95477.

the nation’s favourite wild mammal. Royal Society of Biology (2016). Hedgehog wins favourite UK mammal poll. 29 November 2016. https://www.rsb.org.uk/news/hedgehog-wins-favourite-uk-mammal-poll. Accessed 15thSeptember, 2022.  

describe themselves as ‘reserved’. Dinic M, Walden C. (2019) Our personalities: do we like ourselves, are we shy and is “British reserve” a real thing?  YouGov, 12 November 2019, https://yougov.co.uk/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2019/11/12/yougov-personality-study-part-one-British-reserveAccessed 15th September, 2022.

in a single hedgehog dropping. Yalden DW. (1976) The food of the hedgehog in England. Acta Theriologica. 21(30):401-424.

Wroot AJ. (1984) Feeding ecology of the European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus. PhD Thesis. Royal Holloway, University of London.

in oilseed rape throughout the UK. Bayer Crop Science. Grey field slug. https://cropscience.bayer.co.uk/threats/pest-and-slugs/grey-field-slug/ Accessed 15th September, 2022.

between 1% and 6% of their energy intake. Feeding ecology of the European hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus. PhD Thesis. Royal Holloway, University of London.

adjacent to longer vegetation. Reeve NJ. (1981) A field study of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) with particular reference to movements and behaviour. PhD Thesis, University of London.

one bird feeder for every nine feeder-using birds Davies ZG, Fuller RA, Loram A, Irvine KN, Sims V, Gaston KJ. (2009) A national scale inventory of resource provision for biodiversity within domestic gardens. Biological Conservation 142:761–771. 

year-round if they ate nothing else Orros ME, Fellowes MDE. (2015) Wild bird feeding in an urban area: intensity, economics and numbers of individuals supported. Acta Ornithologica50:43–58.

at the expense of shy ones like willow tits Plummer KE, Risely K, Toms MP, Siriwardena GM. (2019) The composition of British bird communities is associated with long-term garden bird feeding. Nature Communications. 10(1):1-8.

in almost half of their unfriendly interactions with foxes. Scott D et al. Unpublished data.

unconcerned by artificial light in gardens. Finch D, Smith BR, Marshall C, Coomber FG, Kubasiewicz LM, Anderson M, Wright PG, Mathews F. (2020) Effects of Artificial Light at Night (ALAN) on European hedgehog activity at supplementary feeding stations. Animals. 10(5):768.doi:10.3390/ani10050768.

than one without. Gazzard A, Baker PJ. (2020) Patterns of feeding by householders affect activity of hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus) during the hibernation period. Animals. 10(8):1344. doi.org/10.3390/ani10081344.

detect any adverse effects. Gemmeke H (1995). Untersuchungen über die Gefahr der Sekundärvergiftungen bei Igeln (Erinaceus europaeus L.) durch metaldehydvergiftete Ackerschnecken. / Investigations on the hazard of secondary poisoning in hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus L.) from metaldehyde in slugs on arable land. Nachrichten des Deutschen Pflanzenschutzdienst 47:237–240.

diagnosed with metaldehyde poisoning. Keymer IF, Gibson EA, Reynolds DJ. (1991) Zoonoses and other findings in hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus): a survey of mortality and review of the literature. The Veterinary Record. 128(11):245-249. 

exposure to first- or second-generation anticoagulant poisons. Dowding CV, Shore RF, Worgan A, Baker PJ, Harris S. (2010) Accumulation of anticoagulant rodenticides in a non-target insectivore, the European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus). Environmental Pollution. 158(1):161-166.

Something like 40,000 hedgehogs Bearman-Brown L, Baker P. (2022). An Estimate of the Scale and Composition of the Hedgehog (Erinaceus europeaus) Rehabilitation Community in Britain and the Channel Islands. Animals. 12, 3139. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ani12223139.

The Garden Wildlife Health Project. Institute of Zoology. Garden Wildlife Health. https://www.gardenwildlifehealth.org/ Accessed 16th September, 2022.

Compromising the immune system in the process. Maizels, RM. (2020). Regulation of immunity and allergy by helminth parasites. Allergy. 75(3):524-534.

Brackley Hogwatch. Brackley Hogwatch. https://www.brackleyhogwatch.co.uk/Accessed 16th September, 2022. 

lists well over thirty objects. Reeve, N (1994). Hedgehogs (T & A. D. Poyser, London), p. 167.

a general purpose personal odour. Reeve, N (1994). Hedgehogs (T & A. D. Poyser, London), p. 169.

even a Canada goose. Stocker, L. (1987) The Complete Hedgehog (Chatto & Windus, London), p. 33.

semi-reliable accounts. Wildlife Online. European Hedgehog Diet & Feeding Behaviour — Folklore.  https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/animals/article/european-hedgehog-food-feeding-behaviour-folklore. Accessed 16thSeptember, 2022. 

these delightful and intelligent mammals. Cited in Warwick, H. (2010) A Prickly Affair: The Charm of the Hedgehog (Penguin, London), first published 2008.p.101.

wanting the forensic details. Warwick, H. (2010) A Prickly Affair: The Charm of the Hedgehog (Penguin, London), first published 2008. pp. 61-117.

ahead by 756 to 658. Warwick, H. (2010) A Prickly Affair: The Charm of the Hedgehog (Penguin, London), first published 2008, p. 102.

up to 50%’ of all breeding failures. NatureScot. Uist Wader Research https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-management/managing-wildlife/uist-wader-researchAccessed 16th September, 2022.

posted them on social media. For example, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2HCJjzMOugAccessed 16th September, 2022.

profit of the inhabitants. Op. cit. Brockie RE. (1975) Distribution and abundance of the hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) L. in New Zealand, 1869–1973. New Zealand Journal of Zoology. 2(4):445-62.

shearwater colonies disappeared without trace. Scoleri VP, Johnson CN, Vertigan P, Jones ME. (2020) Conservation trade-offs: Island introduction of a threatened predator suppresses invasive mesopredators but eliminates a seabird colony. Biological Conservation. 248:108635. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108635

for more than forty years. ‘Rare brown long-eared bats found on Isles of Scilly’, BBC News, 19 June 2011, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13828921Accessed 16th September, 2022.

stowing away on a ferry to Penzance. BBC News. Cornish ferry stowaway shrew flown home 17 June 2010. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10337485 Accessed 16th September, 2022.

it had already arrived 3,000 years ago.  Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust. Scilly Shrew. https://archive.ph/20121224024129/http://www.ios-wildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/scilly_mammals/scilly_shrew.htm 

spent $1.3 trillion. Zenni RD, Essl F, García-Berthou E, McDermott SM. (2021). The economic costs of biological invasions around the world. NeoBiota. 67:1-9.  https://neobiota.pensoft.net/article/69971/element/4/410// 

at least another thirty releases. Yalden, D. (1999) The History of British Mammals (T. & A. D. Poyser, London), p. 185.

reached the Isle of Skye. Signorile AL, Reuman DC, Lurz PW, Bertolino S, Carbone C, Wang J. (2016) Using DNA profiling to investigate human-mediated translocations of an invasive species. Biological Conservation. 195:97-105. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320715302032 

related to populations in the New Forest. Signorile AL, Reuman DC, Lurz PW, Bertolino S, Carbone C, Wang J. (2016) Using DNA profiling to investigate human-mediated translocations of an invasive species. Biological Conservation. 195:97-105. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320715302032 

infected with the squirrelpox. Chantrey J, Dale TD, Read JM, White S, Whitfield F, Jones D, McInnes CJ, Begon M. (2014) European red squirrel population dynamics driven by squirrelpox at a gray squirrel invasion interface. Ecology and Evolution. 4(19):3788-3799.

Sheffield than the Lake District. Gross, D. Missing in action: natural climate solutions in England's national parks. Friends of the Earth Policy, 29 September 2020, https://policy.friendsoftheearth.uk/insight/missing-action-natural-climate-solutions-englands-national-parksAccessed 16th September, 2022.

during the previous thousand years. Rackham O. (1997). The history of the British Countryside. Pheonix Publishing, London.

it’s 40% in Germany. FOREST EUROPE 2020. State of Europe’s Forests 2020. Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forests in Europe 2020. www.foresteurope.orgAccessed 16th September, 2022. 

and Sweden fivefold. Forestry Commission (2018). Forestry Statistics 2018 Woodland Areas and Planting. IFOS-Statistics, Forest Research.

a long inventory of loss. Yalden, D. (1999) The History of British Mammals. (T. & A. D. Poyser, London), p.172.

during the hundred years after 1772. Yalden, D. (1999) The History of British Mammals. (T. & A. D. Poyser, London), p.172-173.

economically disastrous. Ritchie J. (1920) The influence of man on animal life in Scotland. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge), p297.

Scotland to those rotten rodents. Harvie-Brown JA. (1892).  The great spotted woodpecker (Picus major) in Scotland. The Annals of Scottish Natural History 6: 4–17.

between 1903 and 1946. Anderson RTW. (1941) Highland Squirrel Club Report for 1941. P3. https://www.ambaile.org.uk/search/?searchQuery=Highland+Squirrel+Club+1941

Accessed 17th September, 2022.

as has frequently been stated. Harrison-Matthews L. (1952). British Mammals (New Naturalist no. 21). Collins, London.

and reduced profit margins. Tittensor A. (1980) The Red Squirrel. Mammal Society Series. Blandford Press, Poole.

no threat of extinction. Usher MB, Crawford TJ, Banwell JL. (1992). An American invasion of Great Britain: the case of the native and alien squirrel (Sciurus) species. Conservation Biology 6: 109-115.

stretching from Morecambe Bay to the Tees. Harris S,  Morris P, Wray S, Yalden D. (1995) A Review of British Mammals: Population Estimates and Conservation Status of British Mammals Other Than Cetaceans. JNCC, Peterborough. 

were sold in London during 1837 alone. Op cit. Shorten M. (1954) Squirrels. Collins, London[FM1] 

adults become virtually bomb-proof. Gurnell J. (1983) Squirrel numbers and the abundance of tree seeds. Mammal Review. 13(2‐4):133-148.

[FM2] a less efficient temporal muscle for chewing. Cox PG, Morris PJ, Hennekam JJ, Kitchener AC. (2000) Morphological and functional variation between isolated populations of British red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). Journal of Zoology. 312(4):271-283.

the squirrel’s forearm. Chantrey J, Dale T, Jones D, Begon M, Fenton A. (2019) The drivers of squirrelpox virus dynamics in its grey squirrel reservoir host. Epidemics. Sep 1;28:100352. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1755436519300362

causing the downfall of the red. Gurnell J. (1987) The Natural History of Squirrels (Christopher Helm, London), p. 162.

eighteen square kilometres each year. Okubo A, Maini PK, Williamson MH, Murray JD. (1989) On the spatial spread of the grey squirrel in Britain. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. B. Biological Sciences. 238(1291):113-125. 

industrial units and housing. Clare R. 2018. A hidden tranquility amid the industrial “depotscape”, Lancashire Post, 31 May 2018, https://www.lep.co.uk/whats-on/things-to-do/hidden-tranquility-amid-industrial-depotscape-1026282 

a major red squirrel colony. Bright PW. (1993) Habitat fragmentation – problems and predictions for British Mammals. Mammal Review 23:101-111.

grey squirrels in England in 1931. Gurnell, J. (1987) The Natural History of Squirrels (Christopher Helm, London), p. 135.

twenty-three out of twenty-six captive breeding centres. Everest DJ, Shuttleworth CM, Stidworthy MF, Grierson SS, Duff PJ, Kenward RE. (2014) Adenovirus: An emerging factor in red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris conservation. Mammal Review 44: 225-233.

Everest D J, Shuttleworth CM, Grierson SS, Duff JP, Jackson N, Litherland P, Kenward RE. (2012) Systematic assessment of the impact of adenovirus infection on a captive re-introduction project for red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). Veterinary Record 171:176. 

Everest DJ, Shuttleworth CM, Grierson SS, Dastjerdi A, Stidworthy MF, Duff JP, Higgins RJ, Mill A, Chantrey J. (2018) The implications of significant adenovirus infection in UK captive red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) collections: How histological screening can aid applied conservation management. Mammalian Biology. 88(1):123-129.

a horse splashes. Haldane JBS. (1927) ‘On Being the Right Size’, Harper’s Magazine. 152:424-127. https://www.phys.ufl.edu/courses/phy3221/spring10/HaldaneRightSize.pdf,. 

symbolise that task than a squirrel. Jones M. (1991) Folklore Motifs in Late Medieval Art III: Erotic Animal Imagery. Folklore. 102(2) 192–219, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1260958. 

right or left paw. Leaver LA, Ford S, Miller CW, Yeo MK, Fawcett TW. (2020) Learning is negatively associated with strength of left/right paw preference in wild grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis). Learning & Behavior. 48(1):96-103.

long tradition of sailor-squirrels in literature. See, for example, Penny Dolan, ‘BEATRIX POTTER and the SAILING SQUIRRELS’, The History Girls, 17 June 2016, http://the-history-girls.blogspot.com/2016/06/beatrix-potter-and-sailing-squirrels-by.html

to drive the vessel to its desired port. Goldsmith O.[FM3] 

over the next forty years. RDI Associates. (2021). An analysis of the cost of grey squirrel damage to woodland. Prepared for the Royal Forestry Society. https://rfs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/analysis-of-the-cost-of-grey-squirrel-damage-to-woodland-publication-copy-180121.pdf(Accessed 18th September, 2022). 

a nutritional deficiency in calcium. Nichols CP, Drewe JA, Gill R, Goode N, Gregory N. (2016) A novel causal mechanism for grey squirrel bark stripping: The Calcium Hypothesis. Forest Ecology and Management. 367:12-20.

when populations are high. Mayle BA, Broome AC. (2013) Changes in the impact and control of an invasive alien: the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Great Britain, as determined from regional surveys. Pest Management Science. 69(3):323-333.

Michael Heseltine caused something of a stir. Good Morning Britain (ITV). Lord and Lady Heseltine: 'Grey squirrels need to be culled'. 25 October 2016, https://www.itv.com/goodmorningbritain/articles/lord-and-lady-heseltine-grey-squirrels-need-to-be-culled-bow5pcu-hqshucspAccessed 18th September, 2022.

A survey of twenty-seven red squirrel conservation projects. Shuttleworth CM, Lurz PWW, Halliwell EC. (Eds). (2015) Shared Experience of Red Squirrel Conservation Practice. European Squirrel Initiative, UK. 

might be a bit less sympathetic. Adams T (2008) ‘They shoot squirrels, don’t they?’, The Observer, 19 October 2008. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/oct/19/red-squirrels-protectionAccessed 18th September, 2022. 

the history of Red Squirrels United. Red Squirrels United https://www.redsquirrelsunited.org.uk/ Accessed 18th September, 2022. 

the town of Trecate. Bertolino S, Currado I, Mazzoglio P, Amori G. (2000) Native and alien squirrels in Italy. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy.;11(2).65-74.

don’t seem to have brought squirrelpox with them. Romeo C, McInnes CJ, Dale TD, Shuttleworth C, Bertolino S, Wauters LA, Ferrari N. (2019) Disease, invasions and conservation: no evidence of squirrelpox virus in grey squirrels introduced to Italy. Animal Conservation. 22(1):14-23.

between seventeen and twenty-five times faster. Rushton SP, Lurz PW, Gurnell J, Nettleton P, Bruemmer C, Shirley MD, Sainsbury A. (2006) Disease threats posed by alien species: the role of a poxvirus in the decline of the native red squirrel in Britain. Epidemiology & Infection.134(3):521-533. 

which they can’t digest as effectively as greys. Kenward RE, Holm JL. (1993) On the replacement of the red squirrel in Britain: a phytotoxic explanation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 251:187-194.

vulnerability to energy shortages. Kenward RE, Holm JL. (1993) On the replacement of the red squirrel in Britain: a phytotoxic explanation. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 251:187-194.

so well adapted to feed on cones. Lurz P, Garson P. (1992) The distribution of red and grey squirrels in northeast England in relation to available woodland habitats. British Ecological Society Bulletin. 23:133-139.

reduced to 13% where greys are present. Wauters LA, Lurz PWW, Gurnell J. (2000) The interspecific effects of grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) on the space use and population demography of red squirrels (S. vulgaris) in conifer plantations. Ecology Research. 15:271–284.

stashed away by red squirrels. Wauters, LA, Tosi G, Gurnell J. (2002) Interspecific competition in tree squirrels: do introduced grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) deplete tree seeds hoarded by red squirrels (S. vulgaris)? Behaviour, Evolution and Sociobiology. 51: 360-367.

They would arrive in a year or two. Wauters LA, Gurnell J, Currado I, Mazzoglio PJ. (1997) Grey squirrel management in Italy—squirrel distribution in a highly fragmented landscape. Wildlife Biology. 3:117-124.

small grey squirrel population in Turin. Bertolino S, Genovesi P. (2003) Spread and attempted eradication of the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Italy, and consequences for the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Eurasia.  Biological Conservation. 109 (3): 351-358. 

an eradication programme was no longer possible. Bertolino S, Genovesi P. (2003) Spread and attempted eradication of the grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Italy, and consequences for the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Eurasia.  Biological Conservation. 109 (3): 351-358. 

and France in 2066-71. Wauters L, Martinoli A. (2021) A golden cage for the European red squirrel in Italy? Proposal for a targeted control of the grey squirrel. Biodiversity. 22(1-2):87-90. 

Scientists in Genoa. Scapin P, Ulbano M, Ruggiero C, Balduzzi A, Marsan A, Ferrari N, Bertolino S. (2019) Surgical sterilization of male and female grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) of an urban population introduced in Italy. The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science. 81(4):641–645.

‘acceptable’ or ‘very acceptable’. Dunn M, Marzano M, Forster J. (2021). The red zone: Attitudes towards squirrels and their management where it matters most. Biological Conservation. 253:108869. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108869

physically neutered the animals. Scapin P, Ulbano M, Ruggiero C, Balduzzi A, Marsan A, Ferrari N, Bertolino S. (2019) Surgical sterilization of male and female grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) of an urban population introduced in Italy. The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science.81(4):641–645. 

shown some promise in trials with squirrels Mayle BA, Ferryman M, Peace A, Yoder CA, Miller L, Cowan D. (2013) The use of DiazaCon™to limit fertility by reducing serum cholesterol in female grey squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis. Pest Management Science. 69(3):414-424.

60% infertility in lab rats. Massei G, Cowan D, Eckery D, Mauldin R, Gomm M, Rochaix P, Hill F, Pinkham R, Miller LA. (2020) Effect of vaccination with a novel GnRH-based immunocontraceptive on immune responses and fertility in rats. Heliyon. 6(4):e03781. doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03781

roughly the same results as lethal control. Croft S, Aegerter JN, Beatham S, Coats J, Massei G. (2021) A spatially-explicit population model to compare culling versus fertility control to reduce numbers of grey squirrels. Ecological Modelling 440: 109386. doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109386

controlling fertility in feral Kashmiri goats. Cowan DP, Van der Waal Z, Pidcock S, Gomm M, Stephens N, Brash M, White PC, Mair L, Mill AC. (2020) Adaptive management of an iconic invasive goat Capra hircus population. Mammal Review. 50(2):180-186.

from Scilly to Shetland. Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) (2017) Scientific Advice on matters related to the management of seal populations: 2017. http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2018/SCOS-2017.pdf. Accessed 19th September, 2022.

international OSPAR Convention. Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic(https://www.ospar.org/convention/text). If you are mystified, as we were, by the acronym OSPAR, it turns out that the convention was opened for signatures at the 1992 ministerial meeting of the OSlo and PARis Commissions. No doubt someone got paid good money to come up with that.

Who needs the Serengeti? Litstone J. (2021). England’s greatest wildlife spectacle – just a couple of hours from London. 14th January, 2021. https://telegraph.co.uk/travel/safaris-and-wildlife/englands-greatest-wildlife-spectacle-just-couple-hours-london/

entangled in netting. Allen R, Jarvis D, Sayer S, Mills C. (2012) Entanglement of grey seals Halichoerus grypus at a haul out site in Cornwall, UK. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 64(12):2815-2819.

‘bycatch’ in UK fisheries during 2019 alone. Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) (2022) Scientific advice on matters related to the management of seal populations: 2021. Sea Mammal Research Unit, 2021. http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2022/08/SCOS-2021.pdf(Accessed 19th September, 2022).

unsustainable decline in some colonies. Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) (2022) Scientific advice on matters related to the management of seal populations: 2021. Sea Mammal Research Unit, 2021. http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2022/08/SCOS-2021.pdf(Accessed 19th September, 2022).

east coast of England. JNCC Winterton-Horsey Dunes Designated Special Area of Conservation (SAC). https://sac.jncc.gov.uk/site/UK0013043(Accessed 19th September, 2022). 

pink-footed goose’s numbers in Britain have soared more than tenfold. Frost TM, Calbrade NA, Birtles GA, Hall C, Robinson AE, Wotton SR, Balmer DE, Austin, GE. (2021).

Waterbirds in the UK 2019/20: The Wetland Bird Survey. (BTO/RSPB/JNCC; Thetford).

probably die before adulthood. Kovacs KM. (1987) Maternal behaviour and early behavioural ontogeny of grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) on the Isle of May, UK. Journal of Zoology. 213(4):697-715.

Perry E., Boness DJ, Fleischer RC. (1998). DNA fingerprinting evidence of nonfilial nursing in grey seals. Molecular Ecology. 7(1): 81-85.

within a fortnight. Sayer S, Allen R, Hawkes LA, Hockley K, Jarvis D, Witt MJ. (2019) Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 99:1221-1230 doi.org/10.1017/S0025315418001170.

such as dimethyl sulphide. Kowalewsky S, Dambach M, Mauck B, Dehnhardt G. (2006). High olfactory sensitivity for dimethyl sulphide in harbour seals. Biology Letters. 2(1): 106-109.

hydrodynamic trails left by fish swimming more than 180 metres away. Dehnhardt G, Mauck B, Hanke W, Bleckmann H. (2001) Hydrodynamic trail-following in harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). Science. 293(5527):102-104.

passing twenty seconds earlier. Zheng X, Kamat AM, Cao M, Kottapalli AGP. (2021) Creating underwater vision through wavy whiskers: a review of the flow-sensing mechanisms and biomimetic potential of seal whiskers. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 18: 20210629. doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2021.0629. (Accessed 19th September, 2022).

despite being completely blind. Bonner WN. (1989) The Natural History of Seals. (Christopher Helm, Bromley). 

altar of political correctness. Op. cit. Wilson SC (2020). Seal-Fisheries Interactions. British Divers Marine Life Rescue. https://bdmlr.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Resources-seal-fisheries-interactions.pdf(Accessed 19/09/2022) 

179,000 tonnes of Scottish farmed salmon. Willer DF, Robinson JP, Patterson GT, Luyckx K. (2022) Maximising sustainable nutrient production from coupled fisheries-aquaculture systems. PLOS Sustainability and Transformation. 2022 Mar 1;1(3):e0000005. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pstr.0000005(Accessed 19th September, 2022).

destroy wild populations. Kurlansky M. (2020). Net loss: the high price of salmon farming. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/sep/15/net-loss-the-high-price-of-salmon-farmingAccessed 19th September, 2022. 

not fitted to their environment, and they die off in vast numbers. McGinnity P, Prodöhl P, Ferguson A, Hynes R, Maoiléidigh NO, Baker N, Cross T. (2003) Fitness reduction and potential extinction of wild populations of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, as a result of interactions with escaped farm salmon. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 270(1532), 2443–2450.

J Gilbey, J Sampayo, E Cauwelier, I Malcolm, K Millidine, F Jackson & D J Morris. (2021). A national assessment of the influence of farmed salmon escapes on the genetic integrity of wild Scottish Atlantic salmon populations. Scottish Marine and Freshwater Science 12(12), 70pp. doi.org/10.7489/12386-1. (Accessed 19thSeptember, 2022). 

200,000 farmed salmon escaped in 2020. Marine Scotland. Scotland’s Aquaculture: fish escapes. http://aquaculture.scotland.gov.uk/data/fish_escapes.aspxAccessed 19th September, 2022. 

a dinner bell. Stansbury AL, Götz T, Deecke VB, Janik VM (2015). Grey seals use anthropogenic signals from acoustic tags to locate fish: evidence from a simulated foraging task. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 282(1798):20141595. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.1595 (Accessed 19th September, 2022).

hearing loss in harbour porpoises. Shaffeld T, Ruser A, Woelfing B, Baltzer J, Kristensen JH, Larsoon J, Schnitzler JG, Siebert U. (2019). The use of seal scarers as a protective mitigation measure can induce hearing impairment in harbour porpoises. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 146: 4288-4298. 

demersal or pelagic fisheries. Boyd IL, Hammond PS. (2010) European Parliament: Directorate General for Internal Policies. Seals and Fish Stocks in Scottish Waters. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/note/join/2010/438613/IPOL-PECH_NT(2010)438613_EN.pdf. (Accessed 19th September, 2022).

return to their birthplace. Thomas L, Russell DJF, Duck CD, Morris CD, Longergan M, Empacer F, Thompson D, Harwood J. (2019) Modelling the population size and dynamics of the British grey seal. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 29(S1):6-23. 

the northern North Sea and Orkney. Hammond PS, Macleod K, Berggren P, Borchers DL, Burt L, Cañadas A, Desportes G, Donovan GP, Gilles A, Gillespie D, Gordon J. (2013). Cetacean abundance and distribution in European Atlantic shelf waters to inform conservation and management. Biological Conservation. 164:107-122.

Hammond PS, Lacey C, Gilles A, Viquerat S, Börjesson P, Herr H, Macleod K, Ridoux V, Santos M, Scheidat M, Teilmann J (2017). Estimates of cetacean abundance in European Atlantic waters in summer 2016 from the SCANS-III aerial and shipboard surveys. Wageningen Marine Research; 2017. (Wageningen, The Netherlands).

increased in others. Thompson D, Duck CD, Morris CD, Russell DJF (2019). The status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the UK. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 29(S1):40-60.

sudden and unexpected fall of 27%. Special Committee on Seals (SCOS) (2022) Scientific advice on matters related to the management of seal populations: 2021. Sea Mammal Research Unit, 2021. http://www.smru.st-andrews.ac.uk/files/2022/08/SCOS-2021.pdf(Accessed 19th September, 2022).

pups of their own species. van Neer A, Jensen LF, Siebert U (2015).Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus) predation on harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) on the island of Helgoland, Germany. Journal of Sea Research 97:1-4.

Leopold MF, Begeman L, van Bleijswijk JD, IJsseldijk LL, Witte HJ, Gröne A (2015). Exposing the grey seal as a major predator of harbour porpoises. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 282(1798): p.20142429. doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2429

Brownlow A, Onoufriou J, Bishop A, Davison N, Thompson D (2016) Corkscrew Seals: Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus) Infanticide and Cannibalism May Indicate the Cause of Spiral Lacerations in Seals. PLoS ONE 11(6): e0156464. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156464

account for the decline. Thompson D, Duck CD, Morris CD, Russell DJF (2019). The status of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in the UK. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 29(S1):40-60. 

explain the falling numbers. Bolt HE, Harvey PV, Mandleberg L, Foote AD. (2009). Occurrence of killer whales in Scottish inshore waters: Temporal and spatial patterns relative to the distribution of declining harbour seal populations. Aquatic Conservation: marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 19:671-675. 

316,000 mature grey seals globally. Bowen D. Halichoerus grypus. IUCN Red list of Threatened Species 2016: eT9660A45226042. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T9660A45226042.en. Accessed 19th September, 2022.

probably help avoid unnecessary fights. Bishop AM, Denton P, Pomeroy P, Twiss S. (2015) Good vibrations by the beach boys: magnitude of substrate vibrations is a reliable indicator of male grey seal size. Animal Behaviour. 100:74-82.

most of that (around 90%) is underwater. Harrison PJ, Buckland ST, Thomas L, Harris R, Pomeroy PP, Harwood J. (2006). Incorporating movement into models of grey seal population dynamics. Journal of Animal Ecology. 75:634-645.

about 70% of the time. Ask a Naturalist. Why do the seals swim upside down? https://askanaturalist.com/why-do-the-seals-swim-upside-down/ 

behind rabbits and red deer Yalden D. (2010) The history of British mammals. (A&C Black, London). p 258. 

Star Wars theme tune. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pAXWxSden4

until they’re resting. Sparling C E, Fedak M A, Thompson D. (2007). Eat now, pay later? Evidence of deferred food-processing costs in diving seals. Biology Letters. 3(1): 94–98. 

hundred kilometres per day. McConnell BJ, Fedak P, Lovell PS, Hammond PS. (1999). Movement and foraging areas of grey seals in the North Sea. Journal of Applied Ecology 36: 573-590. 

resting offshore. Russell DJ, McClintock BT, Matthiopoulos J, Thompson PM, Thompson D, Hammond PS, Jones EL, MacKenzie ML, Moss S, McConnell BJ. (2015) Intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of activity budgets in sympatric grey and harbour seals. Oikos. 124(11):1462-1472.

Pembrokeshire and northern France. Sayer S, Allen R, Hawkes LA, Hockley K, Jarvis D, Witt MJ. (2019) Pinnipeds, people and photo identification: the implications of grey seal movements for effective management of the species. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 99:1221-1230.

adversely affected by their noise. Hastie GD, Russell DJF, Lepper P, Elliot J, Wilson B, Benjamins S, Thompson D. (2017). Harbour seals avoid tidal turbine noise: implications for collision risk. Journal of Applied Ecology.55(2):684-693.

Onoufriou J, Russell DJ, Thompson D, Moss SE, Hastie GD. (2021) Quantifying the effects of tidal turbine array operations on the distribution of marine mammals: Implications for collision risk. Renewable Energy. 180:157-165.

bottom-towed fishing is still allowed. Davies BF, Holmes L, Rees A, Attrill MJ, Cartwright AY, Sheehan EV (2021). Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management works—How switching from mobile to static fishing gear improves populations of fished and non‐fished species inside a marine‐protected area. Journal of Applied Ecology. 58:2463-2478.

out there doing well. Lambert RA. (2002) The Grey Seal in Britain: A Twentieth Century History of a Nature Conservation Success. Environment and History8(4): 449–474. 

In 2020 they admitted defeat. See https://savingwildcats.org.uk/about-saving-wildcats/scottish-wildcat-action/ 

to kill it with impunity. See ‘Former Gamekeeper Cleared in Riddle of Shot Wildcats’, The Herald Scotland, 25 May 1990. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11947024.former-gamekeeper-cleared-in-riddle-of-shot-wildcats/ 

reintroducing wildcats into parts of England and Wales. See Jenny MacPherson et al., ‘A preliminary feasibility assessment for the reintroduction of the European wildcat to England and Wales’. https://www.vwt.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/WildcatFeasibilityReportFeb2020FinalCompressed.pdf 

action had to be taken. See Mattha Busby, ‘“Safety was paramount”: council defends decision to shoot Lillith the lynx’, The Guardian, 11 November 2017. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/nov/11/lilith-escaped-lynx-is-killed-over-growing-public-safety-fears 

given a head wound by a pet lynx. See Joel Christie, ‘Panicked 911 call of woman whose friend was attacked by a pet Siberian LYNX that she was feeding as a favor’, Mail Online, 2 December 2014, https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2858181/Woman-attacked-neighbors-pet-lynx-Atlanta.html 

an injury inflicted by a domestic cat. F. Ostanello et al., ‘Incidence of injuries caused by dogs and cats treated in emergency departments in a major Italian city’, Emergency Medicine Journal 22 (4), April 2005, https://emj.bmj.com/content/22/4/260 

the most zoophobic nation in Europe. George Monbiot, ‘How the UK's zoophobic legacy turned on wild boar’, The Guardian, 16 February 2011, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2011/sep/16/zoophobic-wild-boar 

walks around the countryside. See Sarah Knapton, ‘Releasing lynx into wild puts ramblers in danger of attack, warns NFU’, The Telegraph, 26 May 2016, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/05/26/releasing-lynx-into-wild-puts-ramblers-in-danger-of-attack-warns/ 

reintroduced ‘over [his] dead body’. See ‘Reintroduction of lynx will happen “over my dead body”, Scottish minister says’, Farming UK, 12 February 2018, https://www.farminguk.com/news/reintroduction-of-lynx-will-happen-over-my-dead-body-scottish-minister-says_48591.html 

NFU opposed the reintroduction to Britain of any species. See https://twitter.com/linesmartin/status/1457014489581330442