The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world today.
This has resulted in the UK seeing many of its majestic animals
already becoming extinct.
At one time, the UK used to be home to amazing animals such as
bison, elk, brown bears, wolfs and Eurasian lynxes.
These animals once roamed what is today the UK, however, they
have been long extinct for hundreds of years.
The Eurasian lynx is one of many beautiful animals that are
now extinct in the UK. However, these beautiful
animals still survive today in other European countries.
It is because they still exist in other
European countries today,
that reintroducing them back into the UK is possible.
But, the question is, should we reintroduce these cats
back into the UK?
What are the positive and negative
implications for reintroducing lynxes into the UK?
There are both positive and negative aspects of reintroducing these beautiful animals back into the UK.
The Eurasian lynx has been extinct on the British Isles
for hundreds of years.
The Eurasian lynx went extinct in the UK around 1,300 years ago.
They have been extinct since the medevial era.
It would be great seeing these beautiful cats back in the British
countryside, after being absent for so long.
It could also be great
in reversing the decline of biodiversity that has been happening
in the UK, and, help reverse that decline.
Rewilding will be good for nature and our ecosystems.
It will also help restore ecosystems
such as forests, to the way that they once were in the UK.
These would be positives and benefits to reintroducing Eurasian lynxes
back into the wild in the UK.
But. There could be negatives to their reintroducation.
We have to ask ourselves,
'What about the other wild animals in Scotland?'
'How will other animals cope with the reintroduction of the Eurasian lynx?'
One of the concerning aspects of reintroducing lynxes
in the UK, is the effects that they may
have on animals in the UK that are critically endangered.
For example, Scottish Wildcats are critically endangered today,
how will the reintroduction of lynxes effect Scottish wildcats?
Eurasian lynxes are larger than Scottish Wildcats,
so, would Eurasian lynxes
then dominate forest ecosystems?
It's also a question of time and resources -
shouldn't our time and resources go into helping
Scottish Wildcats? since Scottish Wildcats are critically
endangered today,
and in desperate need of our help.
The reintroduction of Eurasian lynxes into the UK
would be great to see.
However, we should first save the
critically endangered species in the UK - such as the Scottish Wildcat -
before we start to reintroduce other animals back into the UK.
Rewilding is important in saving animals and helping the environment.
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