OK, much as I’m pro rewilding, reintroductions and large carnivores, pieces like these are trivialising the conversation, all to the disadvantage of other more realistic projects in the short term. *thread* https://twitter.com/georgemonbiot/status/1247222113251065861

Of the three large carnivores we had in ‘recent’ history in the U.K., the order it goes in terms of social acceptance for reintro is lynx, wolf, bear (wolf would come first based on ecology, but large carnivore conservation is 95% people and politics).

When I talk about social acceptance, I’m not talking about people like myself or the majority of the general public. I’m talking about the people who would be living in the same places as these carnivores, wo w whole will show a very different opinion to those who don’t.

For those reasons, opinions polled from national newspapers are unlikely to be representative without any indication of where votes came from. That is the most important factor that will determine a project’s success.

Even the prospect of reintroducing lynx, an elusive cat that takes relatively few livestock and is no threat to people, must be undertaken with extreme care, trust and co-operation with local communities. The wolf is an even more challenging prospect.

Bears, which are far more of a risk to people too, are way off in the best case and should not even be considered unless we have demonstrated acceptance of lynx and even wolves. In Romania, I walked through woods locals are too scared to traverse on their own for fear of bears.

But this “yeah why not” attitude just pushes the buttons of those you need to work with the most, and lessens any potential cooperation with relatively less controversial schemes you may want to do. This is not throwing down the gauntlet, it’s called being a pain in the arse.

I’m not saying we shouldn’t talk about large carnivores - we are increasingly aware of their ecological importance, and it doesn’t give much hope for lions and tigers in developing nations if we can’t bear (excuse pun) any responsibility.

BUT it needs to be calmly and seriously laid out, and only moved to an additional tier of progression when the time is right. Which for wolves and bears, is certainly not now.

Otherwise, you will he met with nothing but ridicule and dismissal. The ‘hyenas for Hampshire’ meme set up by @wildforest_matt recently was mostly a bit of a laugh, but deeper down spoke about just how such ‘ideas’ are perceived by those living and working in ‘release areas’.

So while in theory I am pro-bear, realistically it’s not going to happen in my lifetime. I would only advocate it if the time and environment was right - something that definitely is not the case.