The European gray wolf has made an appearance in Denmark for the first since the last native Danish wolf was shot dead in 1813,
The
sighting in a national park in northern Jutland is just the latest
illustration of the wolfs recolonisation of western Europe.
Wolves
were re introduced to the French Alps in 1993 and have since increased
to 200 animals in 20 packs, their range has now spread to the sheep
rearing area of Southern Auvergne (home of Roquefort cheese) and far to
the north to Vosges on the Alsace-Lorraine border. With predication's
that Wolves will be on the outskirts of Paris by the end of the decade.
In
Italy there has been considerable success in reintroducing of the
European Brown bear into the Dolomite mountains, ten adults captured in
Slovenia were released and have now grown to a group of an estimated 50
adults and cubs.
Meanwhile,
in England attempts are being made to reintroduce the Great Bustard, the world's
heaviest flying bird which was hunted to extinction in England in 1832
The Great Bustard was reintroduced to Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire in 2004 but has meet unfortunately with only little success to date.
