Welcome to our occasional Big Cat Diary with Tim Whittard The rich and varied biome of the UK and its wilderness is home to countless legends and mysteries, with an opulent tradition of folklore focusing on weird and unusual creatures. From the banshees and ogres of Welsh mythology, to Nessie and the Wulver of the Shetlands, from the Irish alligator and the leprechauns of the Emerald Isle, to the likes of Spring-Heeled Jack and the Woodwose, and yet amongst these tales and the rich stories of anomalous entities there is one such legend that is shared by all locales and utterly refuses to fade – the big cats of the British Isles.
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Tales of huge numbers of wild boar are probably exaggerated and there is no reason why a UK population cannot be sustainable, says Jack Bell
The history of wild boar in the UK
During the reign of King William I, the enactment of the Forest Law (1087) laid down that those guilty of killing a stag, roebuck or wild boar were liable to the punishment of blinding, and the hunting of these “beasts of the forest” was reserved only for nobility.
Forest Law was designed to protect game species and the habitat that sustained them, implemented for the sole purpose of protecting game stocks for the king’s personal hunting forays. Originally, royal forests were designated hunting grounds, not limited to afforested areas, but encompassed open heathland, grasslands and wetlands. However, the implementation of the Forest Law led to a monumental push for afforestation, often at the expense of local communities whose homes were burned, entire villages evicted and lands cleared
Among them was a spectacled bear – a ‘category 1’ dangerous animal.
An inspection report of Port Lympne Safari Park also reveals that a rusty-spotted cat native to India remains on the loose nine months later.
The escapes were not made public by the zoo at Hythe in Kent, which is due to reopen next week, or the local council.
Five animals escaped in just five months last year at a zoo belonging to the charity where Boris Johnson’s fiancee Carrie Symonds works, the Mail can reveal. She is pictured with with owner Damian Aspinall
The news raises safety fears just as the Charity Commission begins a statutory probe into the Aspinall Foundation and its sister organisation, Howletts Wild Animal Trust, which runs the park.