Och! There's a croc in the loch

Sally Toms muses about Scotland's biodiversity and the mysterious case of the Loch Ness crocodile

Interesting things are happening in Scotland. There's a new first minister, a new parliament. Governmental changes are shaking the foundations of this great nation.

But, as usual, I prefer to leave political comment to Roddy and ramble on a bit here about something else entirely. This time, I have a few things to say about the diversity of wild animals in Scotland.

You may have noticed in the last issue that the Royal Society has recommended wolves are reintroduced to the Highlands. Wolves were native to the British Isles until the 17th century, but then again so was the woolly mammoth (until 10,000 years ago). In some areas, the red deer population is out of control and this is having a very negative impact on the ecosystem. Releasing a few wolves into the area would certainly keep the deer population under control.

The idea has been bandied about for quite a few years, and I doubt very much that it will ever get past the farming and rambling associations (can you imagine?).

So I was pondering wolves and the wild creatures of Scotland one day recently when an email fell into my inbox. It was an official looking release, with the headline ‘crocodile sighted in Scottish waters.' Apparently an American crocodile had been spotted swimming about in Loch Ness.

Strange, thought I. How did it get there? The email suggested the crocodile drifted along the path of the Atlantic Gulf Stream (which seemed unlikey, as even I know crocs are generally freshwater creatures). It also s...

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• By : Sally Toms
• In : Editor's View
• Issue : 33
• Page : 3
• Words : 646