PRESERVATION OF FAUNA

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22520, 30 September 1938, Page 4

PRESERVATION OF FAUNA

PARK IN SCOTLAND SUGGESTED

ADDRESS BY THE EARL OF ONSLOW

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~_. T LONDON. August 22. . "The Importance of National Parks m the Preservation of the Fauna of Great Britain" was the subject of an address by the Earl of Onslow to the Conference of Delegates Qf Corresponding Societies, in connexion with the British Association. His opinion was that only in Scotland would a suitable place for the preservation of fauna be found.

Lord Onslow thought the success which had attended the creation of reserves abroad might tempt people to try something of the kind in Great Britain. The Old Country had a very interesing native fauna which must in time gradually disappear, if it were not protected, and since there was a strong movement in favour of creating national parks, the opportunity should be taken of creating one at least that would be mainly devoted to the presprvation of fauna and flora. It was to the Scottish organisations that one looked for the realisation of a scheme. He did not think that anywhere in England or Wales would be suitable, whereas the West Coast of Scotland seemed an ideal place for such a venture. Deer forest, provided that it was not contiguous to grouse ground, was the most suitable kind of land for a reserve. Species Growing Scarce A valuable addition to the proposed park would be a herd of the so-called park cattle. The wild goats which existed *in Scotland, and which were probably ordinary goats run wild, might also be preserved. There would be no difficulty about the preservation of foxes, badgers, stoats, and weasels, nor of otters provided the park had streams, rivers, and burns to provide fish.

There were three species, the wild cat, pine marten, and pole cat, which were becoming very scarce indeed, and deserved every effort to retain them. Perhaps the most difficult to acclimatise in Scotland would be the rarer bats most of which had been found only in the South of England. The National Park should also be a strict bird sanctuary,, with part of it near the sea, so that sea birds could be encouraged to breed there. The question arose as to whether it would be desirable in a National Park to attempt to acclimatise animals which had become extinct, such as the elk, reindeer, wild pi", beaver, and certain rodents. Some would form an attraction to a National Park, but the whole question of introducing species that had became extinct would require careful consideration.

To acquire land for the purpose would be costly, but not necessarily ruinous, and the cost of maintaining J; need not be as great as the cost for a privately-owned deer fdrest. There would be an income, as in the case of the National Kruger Park in SoVith Africa, which made quite a handsome income. Lord Onslow did not think one need be unduly terrified by the cost of acauisition or of management.