Country Life

as wily as a fox

I HAVE this thing where everybody has to think I’m the greatest,’ declares Fantastic Mr Fox in Roald Dahl’s 1970s tale of an astute fox outwitting three farmers. Ever since the demise of the bear, wolf and lynx, this handsome yet destructive creature has indeed been our top mammalian predator, engendering admiration and frustration in equal measure. For centuries, Vulpes vulpes has raided chicken houses, stolen lambs and snaffled game. In retaliation, we’ve poisoned, shot, trapped and pursued them in the form of organised hunting. However, it is ironic that, 15 years on from the Hunting Act coming into force, how best to control the ever-prolific Reynard is still a bone of contention. Charlie Farley now also thrives as a city slicker, swapping partridge for leftover pizza, causing all sorts of…

taking the lead

LEADING shooting and rural organisations are calling for the end of lead and single-use plastics in shotgun ammunition, it was announced on Monday. Nine organisations, including BASC, the CLA, the Countryside Alliance and the GWCT, released a statement asking the shooting community to cease using lead shot ‘within five years’. The move to lead- and plastic-free ammunition will ‘benefit wildlife and the environment while also safeguarding the growing market for healthy game meat,’ they say. The statement continues: ‘This is a significant announcement, but one the shooting community should not fear. British wildfowlers and other European countries have already moved away from lead without detriment to participation or performance.’ It points out that ‘shooting has changed greatly over the years and this move is just the next step in that illustrious…

a grey area for birth control

RESEARCH is underway to perfect an oral contraceptive that will slow down the booming grey-squirrel population. An injectable formula has already been proven to be successful and the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is hoping that an oral contraceptive, which would be delivered via species-specific feeders, could provide a cost and labour-effective method of managing grey-squirrel populations. Grey squirrels, which are an invasive species from North America, can cause damage to young trees by stripping away their bark and they also carry the squirrel-pox virus, which has almost wiped out the indigenous red squirrel. Recent figures released by the European Squirrel Initiative estimate that the damage done to UK forestry by grey squirrels costs in excess of £40 million per year. The UKSA needs a further £250,000 to complete its project. Visit www.squirrelaccord.uk for…

good week for

Dog owners British breeds have seen a surge in popularity thanks to Brexit, says the Kennel Club. New figures show registrations of Jack Russell terriers—the Prime Minister owns a cross—increased by 30% and Pembroke Welsh corgis by 38% Beavers Research conducted by the University of Exeter found that beavers at the River Otter, Devon, have helped mitigate flooding, reduce pollution and boost wildlife Archeologists Storm Ciara uncovered a 130-million-year-old dinosaur fossil on the Isle of Wight. The footprint was preserved in clay and is said to be of a Neovenator, which grew up to 30ft long and weighed some 4,000kg. It was found by the Wight Coast Fossils group in Sandown Bay…

bad week for

Banksy A Valentine’s Day mural by the elusive artist was vandalised within 48 hours of it appearing in Bristol. The artwork—of a girl firing a slingshot—was defaced with explicit pink lettering. It has been boarded up to protect it from further damage Stealthy getaways Police arrested two burglars who broke into a bookshop, after the pair got distracted by drinking Prosecco. They were found at 3am in Gay’s The Word, having also finished a bottle of tequila. Both have been sentenced Losing our Marbles The UK may be held to ransom over the return of the ‘stolen’ Elgin Marbles. The EU’s negotiating mandate includes a demand for the return of ‘unlawfully removed cultural objects’ to their countries of origin; the Government says their return ‘is not up for discussion’ Apple crumble Champneys Spa is being taken to…

look back for the future

WE must learn to recycle existing historic buildings if we are to cut carbon emissions, Heritage England (HE) announced today. In this year’s Heritage Counts report, published by HE on behalf of the Historic Environment Forum, research claims ‘sympathetically upgrading and reusing existing buildings, rather than demolishing and building new, could dramatically improve a building’s energy efficiency’. At Levens Hall, Cumbria (above), a biomass heating system was installed that cut the estate’s carbon footprint significantly. Buildings are the UK’s third biggest greenhouse-gas-emitting sector, and combined with the construction industry, make up 42% of the UK’s carbon footprint. Ben Cowell, director-general of Historic Houses and chair of the Historic Environment Forum, says: ‘This research is game-changing. It shows how living in the past can help us step into a carbon-friendly future.’ The…