3 ms·
I started reading this article, got about four paragraphs in and realized it was really fluffy and extremely long and then stopped. Concision is extremely under
by anonytrary 6y ago
I started reading this article, got about four paragraphs in and realized it was really fluffy and extremely long and then stopped. Concision is extremely undervalued. If anyone was braver than I and has a TLDR, I and other readers would love to hear it.
- croisillon 6y agoBy 1700, wolves had long been extirpated from the current UK, though their old territory is commemorated in the toponyms. In Europe, those that survived retreated to rare enclaves and mountains. But with the modernization of farming and urbanization, marginal land too steep or too depleted to be worth the effort falls into disuse, bringing back step by step wild vegetation, small animals and bigger carnivores. There are an estimated 12,000 wolves in Europe now, far more than in the US. As shown at the Yellowstone national park, the reintroduction of wolves has influenced the behaviour of their preys, not daring to graze everywhere anymore, hence allowing wilder vegetation. Scotland could start bringing back wolves too in order to manage naturally the deer population. But this plan meets resistance from shepherds who can't efficiently protect their herd. There is no serious consideration of releasing wolves into the UK countryside.
- mulmen 6y agoNaive question: isn't this why we have dogs? Can't we have packs of dogs that don't kill sheep hang out with the flock and scare off wolves?
- smcl 6y agoYeah but it seems that the kind of dogs who can scare off or fight off a pack of wolves are quite expensive: " He has 17 of these guard dogs now. They are expensive animals, each one worth far more than a sheep. “Last year, I had to explain to my seven-year-old daughter that I couldn’t get her a Christmas present because I had to buy a new dog. That was heartbreaking.” He doesn’t own his land. At this rate – the extra costs of security, the growing losses – he never will. For even with the dogs, his flock is not safe. "