Tuesday 16 September 2008

Don't they know they're supposed to be wild?

Wildlife has an unfortunate habit of failing to live up to the do-gooders' expectations. They release a bunch of sea eagles "into the wild" spouting a pile of romantic tosh and shedding a tear as the birds soar majestically into the sunset...

And what do the ungrateful birds do? They act like feral dogs, hanging around supermarket car parks and bothering the local farmers, snatching their lambs and even the minister's hens! See story here »

I was on the Isle of Skye at the end of August and laughed at how the locals have turned the birds into a tourist attraction. They take out regular boat trips full of keen birdwatchers – and tip buckets of dead fish into the sea to bring the eagles close!

I love to watch the sea eagles, and personally I'm happy to see them back. But let's be honest, it's hardly the picture of a noble bird returned to its natural wild environment that the do-gooders would have us believe.

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