You’re
Kidding
Following on
from a very successful FoHESC Sunday working party, I was back down at the local
reserve this morning to recee the site for Thursdays visit by the Conservation
Volunteers (MK Green Gym) and to plan some alternative practical tasks, not too
far from the Centre, in view of the dodgy weather forecast.
As it
happened, one of the Councils local Field Officers was also on site and so we
toured the facility together, looking at the work that had been completed and
agreeing what new projects could be started.
Having finished
our tour and as the rain started to fall, we went back into the centre for a
quick coffee. Whilst waiting for the kettle to boil, I was standing in front of
the large panoramic back window gazing out across the reserve, when I happened
to look down and there about 5 meters from my feet, was a young Muntjac
hunkered down in the grass. It seemed to be aware of my presence, but as long
as I stayed still it didn’t appear to be bothered.
I called my
companion over and we both watched as the youngster settled down and started to
chew on some of the surrounding vegetation. We surmised that like other fawns
this one had been left by it’s mother, while she was off feeding and would
presumably be collected by mum, when she was ready.
Off course
the opportunity was too good to miss and although shooting through the glass
and somewhat obstructed by the long grass, I did manage to get a couple of
usable photos.
Young Muntjac Keeping a Low profile
Returning
home I started to ponder on the correct name for a young Muntjac, most young
deer are normally referred to as fawn, we know, but does this also apply to
Muntjac? A quick Google was needed, and - Oh my word! - what a strange and
somewhat disturbing spectacle greeted me. No, it’s OK, it wasn’t one of those
sites, but, by accident, I had turned up an article by Robin Page in the Daily
Mail, under the heading: “Muntjac Deer Are a Threat to Our Wildlife”.
Muntjac,
Mr Page would have us believe, “devour native woodland plants at
a terrifying rate, destroy vital bird habitats and can go berserk if unleashed
on a suburban garden. They also breed like rabbits”.
“These little monsters” he says, “leave a trail of destruction wherever they go”....
“They also gobble up rare orchids and
do untold damage to new shoots in managed, coppiced woodland, destroying both
young trees and our most beautiful forest flowers, such as bluebells”......
If this is indeed the case, why had I and my colleagues spend the better
part of Sunday, cutting back the young trees and scrub that are overtaking our
reserve? Was Bambi slacking?
The Baby Faced Assassin ?
It gets worse, as Mr Page continues:
“But their destructive tendencies have
a chilling impact on other species, too. The RSPB believes that muntjac, who
devour many of the shrubs that birds nest in, may be causing woodland bird
numbers to tumble”.
By this stage Mr Page appears to be consumed with a desire to eradicate
a good deal more wildlife, and, reloading his verbal blunderbuss, he fires a
scattershot at a broad selection of other creatures...
“And it is worth remembering that there
are other villains out there. Some foreign, many native”.
“The damage being done to our native
wildlife by grey squirrels - introduced from the U.S. in the late 19th century
and now a problem ignored by Government - is far greater than the damage caused
by muntjac”.
Spawn of the Devil! - Calm Down Dear - It's a Squirrel
“As is the chaos caused by native
predators that have been allowed to get out of control, such as crows, magpies,
sparrowhawks, badgers and foxes”.
“As a consequence, some of the most
iconic birds in the countryside, including lapwings, curlews, nightingales,
grey partridge and lesser-spotted woodpeckers, are being put at risk and could
be heading for extinction”.
OK Mr P, I have been known to have a verbal pop at Grey Squirrels
myself, and I am certainly no idealistic tree hugger (I’ve just spent a day
cutting them down). I understand the need for management and control in
relation to both flora and fauna, in order to maintain a healthy ecosystem. I
could even have had a smidgeon of empathy with you, if you had mentioned the
mink.
But, I do get concerned by the kind of message this type of article
sends out, to those who are getting into wildlife for the first time. To
suggest that all these creatures require culling programs (and it’s OK we can
eat the outcome – see full article) is really over simplistic and very
confusing for the budding new naturalist. Instead of being rightly excited by
seeing their first badger, they now wonder if, according to Mr P's doctrine, they
should be clubbing it to death like a stranded fur seal pup in the 1970s. We
have enough nutters out there trying to randomly kill birds and other wildlife
without you encouraging it through the daily bugle. Please, Mr Page, all I ask,
is that you and the other wildlife sensationalists, consider the possible
effects of your words more carefully.
Oh, and by the way, apparently a young Muntjac is called a kid.
