I think a couple of weeks ago on TV - could it have been on Countryfile? - there was an item about a group of wolves living on Cannock Chase, Staffs. Though they were said to be non domesticated, they had a fenced area, and seemed quite friendly towards humans, who I imagine brought most of their food. Such beautiful animals, surely we could find a corner somewhere for a small population.

I must have missed that sadly. If there were wolves in fenced areas then I doubt there would be the same opposition, but that would also defeat the object of rewilding.

As I have said, I would like to think the idea could work but, in the modern reality, I just don't think it could (for wolves or people).

Yes it was 'Countryfile' but in my view if there is a fence around they are more akin to the animals you see in the Zoo.

The media and some of the 'tourist orientated' industry love to have a 'wild' thing to display to hoardes of urbanised two legged creatures who come and 'think' they are getting close to nature and go home and tell all their friends about it.

The above probably sounds cynical but I found the reality of this when at 'Treetops' in Kenya (Where the Queen happened ot be when she became Queen)

Very shabby, tiny little place, built to extract money from tourists and where all the so called 'wild animals' are keept a discrete distance from the 'tree' and even more discreetly herded in at sunset so that the tourists can go home saying they have seen a 'wild' lion or elephant

That was the point when I really started to look at humans in a different light

We have Grey Wolves roaming around here, so livestock guardian dogs come in handy. Doesn't the UK have Grey Wolves? Wolves have returned to the Netherlands and if they aren't in the UK, I hope they return, as they belong there.

As far as I understand you don't have a resident population of Grey Wolves in the Netherlands but only the odd visiting ones which have crossed over the border from Germany.

In Hungary we have an estimated resident population of 250 scattered in the heavily forested areas of the country. One of those areas is approximately 20 miles away from where I live. They pose no problem for humans because they are extremely shy, only to livestock which they will kill for food.

Although a protected species and despite it being a criminal offence to kill one, there have been cases of hunters killing wolves for the pelts or as trophies.

We have no large predators here in the UK but there is a plan to slowly reintroduce Lynx initially into areas in Northumberland and the Scottish Borders - although there is certainly strong opposition from some. The problems I can see in the UK is that we are already overpopulated by people and there are few true wilderness areas left - at least, that could sustain a pack of wolves without coming into contact with people or livestock.

I have friends in Germany who say the wolf is becoming a real problem there as their numbers are rising by 30% per year and some of the wolves are extremely bold. As their sheep (as do ours in UK) graze in recreational areas, nature reserves etc then very aggressive livestock guardian dogs are not permitted (as they are in the Eastern European countries).

There is no breed of dog that can guard livestock against a wolf pack. Just as no Ridgeback has ever hunted a lion

Bearing in mind that domesticated dogs are the direct descendants of wolves, and the latest thinking is that without the wolf, homo sapiens would never have become the top species on the planet, I am all for their re-introduction into the UK. They've earned the right in my opinion! However ... that is not taking any account of the morons who believe that wolves eat children and are dangerous. They would need to be protected, and then that surely defeats the object if they have to be enclosed for their own safety ... from the idiots who think they are dangerous. I would love to see wolves, lynx, bear etc. reintroduced to the UK but my fear is for the safety of the animals.

Gnash, the only way that you could think that a wolf is not dangerous, is because you think that your halfbreed is a wolf. Ben is not a wolf, wolves rip the livers out of living animals every day, and if a child gets too close they are just another animal with a liver. The UK does not have 1 percent of the land needed to hold wolves safely, which is why they were exterminated, and now your population is just a lot more.

If you think that wolves are not dangerous come to Yellowstone and pet one.

But make out you will first

Wolves are not dangerous. Wolves are petrified of human beings for very good reasons - they have been persecuted by them for a very long time. They are potentially dangerous if you corner one, but it is Little Red Riding Hood Syndrome to say they are dangerous.

My Ben is not a wolf - he is a very low percent wolf cross. There is a very big difference. His father, Hal, was a higher percentage and was very "wolfy", but Ben is a mongrel, as his father was, a mix of Alaskan Malamute, Siberian Husky and wolf.

A few years ago we took on a 9 week old Czech Wolfdog x wolf. Father was a Czech Wolfdog, mother was 98% wolf. At 16 weeks, we had to return him to the breeder, he was just too terrified of humans except those in his own pack - us. Wolves are NOT a threat to humans unless trapped or cornered ...

Wolves became extinct in this country because of man's ignorance and stupidity. you are right about our lack of land, sadly this is true such that I think it would be very difficult for a truly wild pack of wolves to live in, say, the wilds of Scotland, without protection.

I have a 3 year old grandson - I would happily take him to see Bruce's mother and let him play with her in her enclosure. She is of course not a wild wolf, she is used to humans going into her enclosure, which is entirely different from a wild wolf. But a wild wolf would not view a human being as prey - it is all a myth ...the Little Red Riding Hood Syndrome I call it. if a wild wolf was dying of hunger, and miraculously came across a baby alone and unprotected, then yes, I am sure it would end badly for the baby, but with a child standing and walking upright, it would have to be a truly starving wolf to attack a human being walking upright. They have a genetic fear of anything walking upright, a fear that kicks in when they reach 3 weeks of age. Hence the reason why we completely failed with our little Bruce - he was far too old when he brought him home, at 9 weeks old the fear of beings walking upright had kicked in and would never have been overcome. He was fine with us, his pack, but strangers was absolutely terrified.