HAVING read three separate reviews/letters on the wildlife

within our forest published in last week's Review, in

particular, the letter from the 'proud forester and wildlife

lover', I feel compelled to respond in defence of the

animals with whom we share our lives.

I am a relative 'newcomer' to the Forest, having lived

here less than ten years. Prior to that, I ran my own

business in the Cotswolds for 14 years and was born,

bred and educated in the industrialised south east of

England.

I am currently honoured to be visited by badgers and

foxes in my garden who share our meagre scraps and are

apparently superior to us in being able to exist together

without threat of all out war.  Now approaching my 70th

Birthday, I feel adequately qualified to pass on to others,

who have not had the wide diversity of experience that I

have been blessed with, the vast difference in lifestyles

experienced across the country in the hope that they will

realise how very privileged we all are in living in such a

beautiful part of the British Isles.

How can we honestly compare the 'damage' caused

by boar, deer and wild cat with the carnage created by our

so called civilised society? Just pause for a moment and

try to imagine how many hundreds of thousands of less

fortunate inner city inhabitants would feel to be given the

chance to share the beauty, serenity and natural lifestyle

that exists in the Dean. So what if we are called upon to

'clear up' grass verges? So much better than scraping the

pavements of various human bodily fluids, needles and

associated modern day recreational devices after nights of

boozing and bingeing. I know which I would prefer to do!

While  I am on my soap box, surely there are more

dangers in legalised motor sport within the forest which is

equally destructive with the youthful speeding throughout

the forest highways? So come on, give the natural world a

chance and let us all live together peacefully without

having to yet again succumb to the wanton destruction of

the creatures that share this precious space with us. From

now on, let us now concentrate on the survival of the wild

boars of the forest rather than the wild bores of local

commerce.

– Wendy Morris, Abbots View, Buckshaft