Big cats in England

Dont I know it, I'm a pommy myself, Jean.P.
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote in
message ...
I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions
they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P.

As do I, but the living wild in the UK is *not* the place any large cat
should
be.

Cheers, helen s




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Dont I know it, I'm a pommy myself, Jean.P.
dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote in
message ...
I LOVE big cats specially the tigers leopards and lions
they are so beautiful!!!!! Jean.P.

As do I, but the living wild in the UK is *not* the place any large cat
should
be.

Cheers, helen s




--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched
off--

"Napoleon" wrote in message
om...
"Yowie" wrote in message
. au...
"dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers" wrote
in
message ...
I hope they'll be protected as well as studied.

Joy

Joy, big cats aren't native to the UK. If there are any in the wild
(and I
think there most probably are a few), I have grave misgivings about
them
remaining here. The theory is that they are cats that have escaped or
have
been
deliberately released from private collections when legislation was
brought in
controlling who could have them and how/where they were kept.
Reasons for my misgivings - example, we now have wild mink in the UK.
They
are
escapees (unintentional & deliberate escape - "liberation") and
descendents of
escapees from mink farms. The mink in question is the American Mink -
it's
not
native to the UK and it has no natural predators over here. It also
breeds
extremely well over here. It is destroying our native and now very
rare,
extremely endangered water voles. There's nothing better a mink likes
than
a
tasty water vole for lunch. The mink is killing off our own wild life
rather
efficiently. For example - the stream at the end of my garden is a
tributary of
the River Wensum. It had been mink free until quite recently. I used
to
see a
lot of water voles about. I haven't seen *any* this year. There's no
sign
of
them. Some time ago a downstream neighbour told me she'd seen a mink
on
the
banks of the stream where it goes by her place. Mink have been
reported
elsewhere on the river system too. Also, the number of fish in the
stream
has
noticeably declined when the water is *good* and it's not fished to
any
extent.

The other problem is that in relative terms, the UK is a small
landmass,
highly
urbanised in many areas so there simply isn't the space for big cats
to be
about in any quantity without possible serious consequences for
people. In
this
case, it isn't the people encroaching on to land previously the
natural
habitat
of the big cats, it's more the other way around.

I have very grave doubts about big cats remaining wild in the UK.

This problem of "imported" species out-doing the native species is a
major
problem here in Australia, particularly when it comes to feral cats,
dogs
and pigs, although there are many other introduced species that are
wreaking
havoc in their own environmental niches (can toads, european carp,
indian
mynah bird etc etc). Because Australia was so isolated for so long (in
terms
of evolution) our native fauna simply doesn't have the natural methods
of
dealing with the effecient hunters that come from other parts of the
world.

I saw a program on TV a while back dealing at least in part with the
feral cat problem in Australia. It featured this somewhat repulsive
man who hunted cats for a bounty-his car had a sticker that said AFAIR
something like "The only good cat is a dead cat." He seemed to really
enjoy shooting the cats. Apparently also some aboriginial people in
Australia hunt and eat feral cats. There was a clip on the program
showing some aborigineal women chasing after a feral cat which they
caught and later cooked.

Yeah, he's pretty "famous" around here. Trouble is, he doesn't present his
arguments against the feral cat in a logical and non-confrontational way and
so tends to divide viewers unto ardent cat haters and equally fanatical cat
lovers with no room for a sane and rational discourse to occur in between.

There *is* a feral cat problem here in Oz. Is the best solution shooting
them? Well, eradicating the truly *feral* variety (as opposed the the
*stray* population) is certainly desirable and shooting, as much as I hate
to admit it, is cheap and realtively humane. However, *education* of
potential cat (and other potentially feral) owners and strict enforcement of
neutering laws would also do a great deal to help the situation. The indoor
housecat is not causing *any* harm to the native fauna, so this crackpot's
solution of "the only good cat is a dead cat" is not reasonable at all, and
he certainly doesn't do his cause any good amongst resposnible cat owners by
spouting such hate-filled drivel. Unfortunatley such a controversial person
does make great TV and gets far more air time than he deserves, IMHO.

Yowie

"Napoleon" wrote in message
om...
"Yowie" wrote in message
. au...
"dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers" wrote
in
message ...
I hope they'll be protected as well as studied.

Joy

Joy, big cats aren't native to the UK. If there are any in the wild
(and I
think there most probably are a few), I have grave misgivings about
them
remaining here. The theory is that they are cats that have escaped or
have
been
deliberately released from private collections when legislation was
brought in
controlling who could have them and how/where they were kept.
Reasons for my misgivings - example, we now have wild mink in the UK.
They
are
escapees (unintentional & deliberate escape - "liberation") and
descendents of
escapees from mink farms. The mink in question is the American Mink -
it's
not
native to the UK and it has no natural predators over here. It also
breeds
extremely well over here. It is destroying our native and now very
rare,
extremely endangered water voles. There's nothing better a mink likes
than
a
tasty water vole for lunch. The mink is killing off our own wild life
rather
efficiently. For example - the stream at the end of my garden is a
tributary of
the River Wensum. It had been mink free until quite recently. I used
to
see a
lot of water voles about. I haven't seen *any* this year. There's no
sign
of
them. Some time ago a downstream neighbour told me she'd seen a mink
on
the
banks of the stream where it goes by her place. Mink have been
reported
elsewhere on the river system too. Also, the number of fish in the
stream
has
noticeably declined when the water is *good* and it's not fished to
any
extent.

The other problem is that in relative terms, the UK is a small
landmass,
highly
urbanised in many areas so there simply isn't the space for big cats
to be
about in any quantity without possible serious consequences for
people. In
this
case, it isn't the people encroaching on to land previously the
natural
habitat
of the big cats, it's more the other way around.

I have very grave doubts about big cats remaining wild in the UK.

This problem of "imported" species out-doing the native species is a
major
problem here in Australia, particularly when it comes to feral cats,
dogs
and pigs, although there are many other introduced species that are
wreaking
havoc in their own environmental niches (can toads, european carp,
indian
mynah bird etc etc). Because Australia was so isolated for so long (in
terms
of evolution) our native fauna simply doesn't have the natural methods
of
dealing with the effecient hunters that come from other parts of the
world.

I saw a program on TV a while back dealing at least in part with the
feral cat problem in Australia. It featured this somewhat repulsive
man who hunted cats for a bounty-his car had a sticker that said AFAIR
something like "The only good cat is a dead cat." He seemed to really
enjoy shooting the cats. Apparently also some aboriginial people in
Australia hunt and eat feral cats. There was a clip on the program
showing some aborigineal women chasing after a feral cat which they
caught and later cooked.

Yeah, he's pretty "famous" around here. Trouble is, he doesn't present his
arguments against the feral cat in a logical and non-confrontational way and
so tends to divide viewers unto ardent cat haters and equally fanatical cat
lovers with no room for a sane and rational discourse to occur in between.

There *is* a feral cat problem here in Oz. Is the best solution shooting
them? Well, eradicating the truly *feral* variety (as opposed the the
*stray* population) is certainly desirable and shooting, as much as I hate
to admit it, is cheap and realtively humane. However, *education* of
potential cat (and other potentially feral) owners and strict enforcement of
neutering laws would also do a great deal to help the situation. The indoor
housecat is not causing *any* harm to the native fauna, so this crackpot's
solution of "the only good cat is a dead cat" is not reasonable at all, and
he certainly doesn't do his cause any good amongst resposnible cat owners by
spouting such hate-filled drivel. Unfortunatley such a controversial person
does make great TV and gets far more air time than he deserves, IMHO.

Yowie

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:

Just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago :-)))

AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

You have just caused me to turn a vivid shade of bright green!

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

Deb.

--
http://www.scientific-art.com

"He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would;
He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield

dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers wrote:

Just got back from the Galapagos a few weeks ago :-)))

AAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!

You have just caused me to turn a vivid shade of bright green!

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

Deb.

--
http://www.scientific-art.com

"He looked a fierce and quarrelsome cat, but claw he never would;
He only bit the ones he loved, because they tasted good." S. Greenfield

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

No... No.... *nothing can console me....

I'm *green* I tell you, *green*....

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Cheers, helen s ;-)


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

No... No.... *nothing can console me....

I'm *green* I tell you, *green*....

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Cheers, helen s ;-)


--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
**$om $

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

On 23 Apr 2004 08:15:41 GMT, omcom
(dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers) yodeled:

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

No... No.... *nothing can console me....

I'm *green* I tell you, *green*....

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Cheers, helen s ;-)


When I was little, I loved to watch National Geographic programs, an I
always thought I would be one of those naturalists who went to the
Galapagos, or the Amazon, or wherever, to study the wildlife. I also
had a children's book about Darwin (!) and I was absolutely fascinated
by the tortoises, iguanas, frigate birds, etc. Wow, a real dream
trip.


Theresa
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful.
(Aldous Huxley)

On 23 Apr 2004 08:15:41 GMT, omcom
(dirtylitterboxofferingstospammers) yodeled:

:-))) Sorry. If it's any consolation, I had been wanting to go since I
was 12, so an ambition fulfilled by the trip - and a fantastic honeymoon
into the bargain!

No... No.... *nothing can console me....

I'm *green* I tell you, *green*....

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!!!

Cheers, helen s ;-)


When I was little, I loved to watch National Geographic programs, an I
always thought I would be one of those naturalists who went to the
Galapagos, or the Amazon, or wherever, to study the wildlife. I also
had a children's book about Darwin (!) and I was absolutely fascinated
by the tortoises, iguanas, frigate birds, etc. Wow, a real dream
trip.


Theresa
alt.tv.frasier FAQ: http://www.im-listening.net/FAQ/

Single-mindedness is all very well in cows or baboons; in an animal
claiming to belong to the same species as Shakespeare it is simply disgraceful.
(Aldous Huxley)