I've no idea

[Red Adder]

A gather the FC and other interested parties would like to up their cull to 3/4 million animals a year. Great for lovers of game pie, not so good for veggies or Bambi aficionados. The alternate may be either serious loss of cereal crops or the need to reintroduce wolves in to Thetford Forest. There also seemed to be hints of them helping O by eating brambles (and possibly explains why holly trees are flourishing - more light for their seedlings which presumably don't come up high on the deer's menu). Deer trails are also worth following when trying to hit the gaps or low points in rootstock banks.

[MIE]

Re-introduce the Eurasian Lynx -- they love Roe and Muntjak and would probably
go for the odd Fallow as well. Each lynx would probably take out 50 or so deer per year
and they would be the less fit ones as well

[Red Adder]

Are Lynxes also partial to M/W9s - or even a slow and gristly M/W70 ?

[MIE]

They're just big pussy-cats that are really shy and retiring. As night hunters
you may need to look behind you if doing Night-O.

No recorded attacks on humans, but they can become partial to sheep and do,
on occasion, take a fox or three.

See http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/12519/0 for more info

[Philip134]

Here is the Estonian O Club dedicated to the Lynx

http://www.okilves.ee/

Their 3 Day event each May is well worth the trip if you like marshes and small hills.

[Big Jon]

A huge proportion of Scotland is suitable for Lynx - they only need a small area of woodland/scrubland to shelter in. Bring them on - they would be fantastic to see at night or in snowy conditions.

[andypat]

D'you ever see a wildcat Jon on your mapping trips?

[blindasabat]

There also seemed to be hints of them helping O by eating brambles .

Or possibly not.....
according to a news item a couple of weeks ago , brambles and nettles have increased their range by a factor of 2 over the last 15 years. But we orienteers already knew that.

But there;s another way of looking at this. Perhaps they would have taken over completely were it not for the deer

[Big Jon]

For bracken and bramble control deer are too soft - you need wild pigs - and, no, I don't mean the GB squad when hungry;-)

[Clive Coles]

I think you really need an agressive browser for bracken rather than a grazer. Why not try Diceros bicornis ~ that would be fun. Then we would be helping to save an endangered species from extinction.

[Glucosamine]

I think you really need an agressive browser for bracken rather than a grazer. Why not try Diceros bicornis ~ that would be fun. Then we would be helping to save an endangered species from extinction.

With the wet year we have had, what about Bubalus Arnee? Used in several wet nature reserves hereabouts - always look fiercer than they behave. Like the appearance of the tusked Chinese Water Deer which also seem to be increasing in numbers.

Pigs (and the escaped wild boar which seem to be getting more common) certainly do a good job of vegetation control, but the resulting morrass can make for heavy running.