In article ,
David wrote:
On Sat, 02 May 2015 22:45:30 +0100, Bob Hobden wrote:

Interesting reintroduction planned for specific areas, it's worked in
some other areas of Europe and we certainly need something to control
the Deer.

http://www.lynxuk.org/

In all the comment, there has been very little about the predator/prey
cycle.

If there are a lot of prey, then the predators breed and expand because of
an "unlimited" food supply.

At some point the number of predators rises enough that they no longer
have a guaranteed food supply and they compete for the remaining prey.

The prey population drops dramatically because they are being over
predated/consumed, and then the predators starve and die off in turn.

The pressure is then off the prey, who start to breed again and expand in
numbers.

Rinse and repeat.

However in one part of the cycle you have a large number of starving
predators with little or no natural prey - this is always assuming that
the Lynx is a good little wild pussy and only preys on the deer you are
hoping to control.

No, that is a common error. That CAN happen, but predators more often
stabilise the populations. The point is that unpredated herbivores
increase until their population exceeds the winter food supply,
whereupon many or most of them starve to death. That is what kills
a lot of red deer in the Highlands.

[Having seen a black fallow deer very recently, anything that can tackle
that can tackle most farm animals and domestic pets.]

They are a lot smaller than almost all cattle. But lynx aren't
really a predator of them, anyway - more of roe deer and hares.
Yes, they would kill young or weak fallow.

So before championing the return of Lynx and wolves you have to be very
sure that when they are over populated and starving they will not be a
threat to farm animals, domestic pets (including small ponies), and humans
of small stature and tender years.

Well, that isn't a problem elsewhere in Europe, except occasionally
for sheep. No, a lynx wouldn't tackle a pony and have never been
known to attack humans.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.