"Argyll"

Page last revised:
27th September 2004

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DATE: ANIMAL: LOCATION:
28th December 2001 BEAVER Knapdale Forest
9th June 2004 WALLABY Scottish island of Islay
12th August 2004 MONKEYS Oban

 


Knapdale Forest
BEAVER
Scottish bid to reintroduce wild beaver
Environmentalists in Scotland want permission to import a colony of beavers from Norway. Scottish Natural Heritage hopes the Scottish Executive will approve the plan next month. It would be Britain's first wild colony for 400 years. The twelve animals would be set free in spring 2003. If the trial is successful it would pave the way for a full-scale reintroduction five years later.

It would take place at Knapdale Forest in Argyll where they would study the ecology of the beaver in the environment and assess the effects of beaver activities. They would be radio-tagged and allowed to breed. The European beaver was widely resident north of the border until the 16th Century, when they were hunted into extinction.

Some landowners and the National Farmers' Union of Scotland believe the animals could damage the environment and industry. But a SNH spokesman says: "There are 14 European countries which have reintroduced the beaver - we are not just throwing them out from the back of a van into the wild."

28th December 2001
Story filed: 15:13 Friday

Contributed by: Mark Fraser
Scottish Big Cats.
www.scottishbigcats.org


Oban
MONKEYS

Monkeys Stolen.
Police are searching for thieves who stole 15 monkeys from The Oban Zoological world in Argyle. They believe the rare primates worth £10,000.00 were stolen to order for overseas collectors. Seven squirrel marmosets, five black tufted ear marmosets and three Geoffroy's tufted marmosets were taken. They believe the animals may have been drugged to make it easier to get away with them. The zoo owner, Gordon Rollinson said he had spoken to the police, but wasn't going to comment. The zoo which opened in 2001 is not covered by CCTV cameras. Detective Constable Emma Trantor said they think more than one person must had been involved to get all the primates together. They are working on the basis that they were stolen to order and that they will be talking to animal dealers in the UK and abroad.

12th August 2004
Source: Daily Record

Written by: Karen Allison
Contributed by: Chris Mullins

File:
Ref No: 1508


Scottish island of Islay
WALLABY

Dead Wallaby Found on Scottish Island
A dead Wallaby was found on the Scottish island of Islay. It was buried after being examined by Police and Environmental Health officials. It had probably been killed by a car. Nobody knows how it reached the island. Wallabies are believed to exist on Loch Lomond but, although they are strong swimmers, it is hard to imagine one travelling that far. It is possible that
it was killed elsewhere and dumped as a joke.

(Source: The Scotsman 9th June 2004)

Contributed by Lisa Willow
Writen By Paul Williams, 06/08/04,
http://wehrwulf.fcpages.com

Ref No: 1283


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