108 BBC WILDLIFE December 2021
Conservation groups are
not up to the job
W
ell done Mark for your
September column on responses
to the UK’s biodiversity dilemma
(My Way Of Thinking). I have
long thought, just like you, that
the various nature, environmental
and conservation pressure groups have been
nowhere near vociferous and hard-hitting
enough to do the job they are attempting
to do. And as for our politicians, oh dear,
what a miserably ineffective lot they have
been for far too long. I only hope that your
message gets repeated, again and again, in
the corridors of power and wherever else
the points can be made. And that at long
last it might bring the ‘fruit’ we’ve all been
waiting so long for.
Hally Hardie, via emailWidespread decline
In my view, Mark Carwardine’s article in
the September issue was a little misleading(My Way Of Thinking). His basic premise
about the decline in biodiversity is no doubt
true but most of those birds mentioned
are not just UK species and their decline is
across their whole range, so not specifically
a UK issue. The little owl is an introduced
species, but would there be an issue if the
69 per cent decrease was of grey squirrels or
parakeets? I doubt it, because they should
not be here.
Regarding declines in biodiversity, are
we actually comparing like with like? The
UK has a long history of recording nature,
which may not be matched in the rest of
Europe. If this is the case, then are these
comparisons valid? I believe that only long-
term studies where the same methodology
has been applied over a long period should
be used to make such comparisons.
Nigel Sawyer, Surrey
MARK CARWARDINE REPLIES:
I do agree that it’s incredibly difficult to
share like with like when assessing nationaldeclines in biodiversity. But we do need a
measure of some sort – and this is currently
the best we have. At the very least, it shows
trends year-on-year. Besides, there is plenty
of indisputable evidence that our efforts to
protect wildlife in the UK are failing miserably.Mysterious remains
During August, I found three fox (cub?) tails
and one short squirrel tail on different days
at slightly different places at the bottom of
the garden. On the first occasion, there were
hedgehog remains nearby. Most of these
finds were near predated bird remains – I
suspect a neighbour’s devious thug of a cat!
Dr Tony Abramson, Leeds
DAWN SCOTT FROM THE MAMMAL
SOCIETY REPLIES:
Based on the animal remains found, the
predator here is unlikely to be a cat. Cats
are likely to take birds but not foxes or
hedgehogs. As there is a collection of
remains in one area, it sounds like it could
be a juvenile fox that is using this place as
an eating point and collecting things that it is
scavenging. Tails don’t have much nutritional
value so tend not to be eaten and left.Melanistic mammals
We read with interest that black rabbits
have been spotted on Dartmoor and on
Islay (Where Hares Shine Gold, November
2021). Well, they have also been resident
here in a tiny hamlet in south Shropshire
for over two years.
We have had grey rabbits breeding here
for years, but each litter born both this
year and last has consisted of a mix of the
two colours. We wonder why, after living
here for 22 years, that this has only become
evident recently? We have no information
indicating domestic rabbit ‘dumping’.
Peter and Florence Straughan, Shropshire
COLOUR ABERRATION EXPERT HEIN VAN
GROUW FROM THE NATURAL HISTORY
MUSEUM, TRING, REPLIES:
The black coat in these rabbits is the result
of a hereditary mutation. Whether it derived
from an escaped or dumped pet rabbit,
or spontaneously occurred in the wild
population is hard to tell. Both are equally
likely. It is not particularly rare in rabbits
and melanistic individuals exist in many
populations. A recessive mutation can be
present in a population for a while before it is
finally noticed, since both parents need to be
carriers of the recessive mutation before one
can expect any youngsters to be born with a
black coat.To cull or not to cull
Sadly, I have to agree with Mark Carwardine
regarding the eradication of hedgehogs
in New Zealand (My Way Of Thinking,
August 2021). Having grown up in the UK,Spotted flycatcher
numbers have
plummetedGARYCHALKER/GETTY;^ SHARK:^ ALEX^ MUSTARD/NPL