Not easy now for a highland laird to keep the riff raff out, what with the Land Reform Act and all that..... still, where there's a will..... with a bit of enterprise and ingenuity, anything's possible..... a 50 mile electric fence and a few bears might just do the trick…..
Question is..... will the Scottish Executive fall for it?
Well..... they've swallowed bigger ones than that before now..... what's that I hear? ..... did someone say "salmon farming"?
This is certainly a novel approach to public exclusion. The eight foot high electric fence may or may not succeed (I suspect the latter) in keeping the wild animals in..... I must say, though, it would do a pretty good job of keeping me – coward though I may be – out!..... a whole new meaning to the more traditional “Beware of Bull”.
But perhaps I am being unfair. The intention is not to exclude everyone. After all, according to the Alladale website, “since 1877, Alladale Wilderness Lodge has been a traditional Highland lodge, a private retreat solely for the use of its previous owners and their fortunate guests. Alladale is now an exclusive Highland Lodge available for corporate retreats"........
So, following a long tradition of highland hospitality, Mr Lister, as I read in the Sunday Times, will allow guests, some of whom may arrive by helicopter from Inverness, and who will pay between £15,000 and £20,000 to rent Alladale Lodge for a week, while daytrippers will be offered conducted tours by rangers, at a price of course.”
Mr Lister, according to one report, hopes to create something along the lines of the Yellowstone National Park. There will, of course, be a few minor differences. The Alladale venture will be on a much smaller scale..... on land which is in no way “national” other than by virtue of its geographical location..... which uninvited members of the general public will have a strong incentive to avoid..... and I expect it will make a bigger profit for its owner/s than the Yellowstone National Park.
The possibility of the general public being shut out of large parts of Scotland by electric fences is unthinkable. If wild animals are too dangerous to release into the wild, then we cannot have them. The reintroduction of locally long extinct species can only be acceptable if they can co-exist with the flora, fauna and, most importantly, the people already here, if they complement the wider environment. Now, I can see a possible argument for reintroducing wolves, as a way of managing our red deer numbers, although many would say that allowing a pack of wolves to tear a deer to bits has some parallels with fox hunting and the sheep farmers might not be too keen on the idea. As for bears, I can happily live without them.....
One thing I am sure of - eight feet high electric fences have no place in Scottish society.
I don't buy the wolves controlling red deer idea. There would have to be a massive cull with rifles to get the deer down to the reqd level first. Then the wolves would maintain that level. That's okay, but if you're going to make an initial drastic cull by rifle why not carry on a sustainable rifle cull? Indeed, why hasn't this already been done? Landowners don't necessarily have the same ideas about the future of the landscape as us walkers.
Deer fences have access for people and aren't electrified. (Not enough access admittedly - I've climbed over too many).
Reducing deer numbers are better than putting up fences anyway.
I don't think this scheme is at all likely to go ahead - it's against the new access legislation apart from anything else. Pylons & windfarms are a real threat that needs fighting now.
The principles of the legislation is IMHO is being abused by "city folk" to stamp their authority, and this could be an example of this. Good legislation that may be abused.
An example of this is the practise of the "right to park their cars" where they wish.
People who appreciate wilderness, should be able to spot the difference between a proposal for the benefit of the countryside, and another to fill the pockets of the stockholders.
I also believe the fence may only be temporary until the situation stablises.
Charging to enter is a different ballgame altogether!
I think I can see this issue from a slightly differnt angle:
When I first saw the article in TGO about the proposed game reserve in Sutherland /Easter Ross I was amazed. But after reading the article I had my doubts about how the whole project would be run.
As far as I can understand its only the landowner who would be involved in the project and the daily running of the park. That strikes me as being very strange indeed. Here is an opportunity not just to make a few bucks but to do some scientific research into the re-introduction of some of Scotland's native species. Research must be done here, and that must be controlled by a government authority.
Carefull consideration into what types of habitat the animals require plus how the animals interact with each other and people is a must.
It is an opportunity to inform the public about the different animals so that people can see the pros and cons of reintroduction and are then able to form their own oppinion.
I should maybe say that I now live in Sweden where I work are a wilderness guide, and in the forests around my house you can find bear, lynx, wolves and sometimes wolverine. For about 20 years ago wolves started to move back to Sweden after being extinct for over 100 years. That has caused a huge amount of debate about whether they should be allowed to stay here and what forms of control are needed. People are worried and scared about the wolves presence here, both for their own safety and of dangers to livestock. People here are just starting to learn about how wolves really are, and that they pose little or no danger to their safety. Through informing the populous and encouraging debate a certain level of tollerance has been reached, but this process has taken a long time and is far from complete.
I dont know when they plan to open the park in Scotland but I would like to see a more active role taken be the authorities, and would like to see a lot more debate around the whole question regarding reintroduction of native species.
I am for the project, but only if it is properly regulated, and proper consideration is given to other hill users!
Alistair, this project could not go ahead without permission and regulation from Scottish National Heritage, the government body responsible for nature. SNH are the body currently looking at the reintroduction of once native species, starting with beaver.
It seems highly unlikely that a private landowner would be allowed to carry out such a huge experiment. He couldn't legally fence such a huge area anyway.
I am for the reintroduction of once native species after appropriate scientific study by SNH in conjunction with landowners as long as this does not lead to any restrictions on access.
I think, anyway, that it is far more important to conserve the wildlife we already have and to reduce grazing pressures so that the forest and other vegetation can regenerate.
No way will it survive, unless built low down. The Great Vandal will see to that using the usual tools of wind and snow. The Highlands are littered with the remains of electric fences not up to the conditions.
This could be why Jurassic Park want another 25000 acres.. The current march is on high ground in several places.
Paul Lister may have some altruistic reasons for wanting to run his Estate in the way he has suggested, however, the 3m electrified fence is the stumbling block. This will essentially prohibit the public from his estate, and whatever ground he manages to add to it. He has hired a PR company from Edinburgh to fight the publicity angle and they have done a very effective job. He wants to run his estate as a model of a game reserve in Africa but if you want to visit that particular reserve it will cost you quite a lot of money to stay there. That's where altruism goes out of the window. This venture is about making money and I don't have a great problem with that, but when it comes to making money out of doing the public out of what is now a legal right (of access) then I, and many, many others will fight him tooth and nail. If he wants to truly re-introduce some species to the wild then I'll back him all the way - if he continues to try and create a huge zoo for exclusive use of the rich, at the expense of public access, then he is going to get a lot of opposition. Edinburgh-based PR company take note...
I attended a meeting last night where Paul Lister outlined his proposals, I applaud and support his venture - with certain reservations - he stated he needs another 25000 acres to make it viable, this I believe will be the first stumbling block, as a local, I cannot see other estate owners backing him in his venture,and this is amount of ground he requires to sustain the species he wishes to re-introduce.
The re-introduction of the wolves,bears,moose and lynx, I support, but for benefit of the wilderness areas, as an money making scheme, I have my reservations.
Also, after the Scottish Ex. stopping the re-intoduction of beaver, after ignoring the report from SNH, what chance does this venture have with carnivores?
The access problem is the last hurdle for Paul Lister [and us, if applicable], he has major problems to overcome first - we should be fighting the pylons and wind farms that will be appearing all over the North West, if the power companies get permission to carry out the present proposals.
Pylons and wind farms are certainly the current threat and should be the focus of attention. Access on Atterdale will only become an issue if the game park plans go ahead, which seems unlikely to me. If the Exec are afraid of beavers they are hardly going to want wolves and bears.
