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Briefly EUROPE
Good news for Artic foxes in Fennoscandia .. . Arctic foxes were almost hunted to extinc- tion in Sweden, Norway and Finland, but projects to breed and feed them may be helping the species return for good. In Fennoscandia, intensive hunting for the an- imal’s prized pelt pushed the fox to the edge of extirpation by the early 20th century. When legal protection was introduced from the 1920s onwards, populations were already too small and fragmented to re- bound. Climate change has worsened its plight, by disrupting the cycles of lem- mings, its rodent prey, and enabling the red fox to encroach on its habitat. As a last resort to save the local population, the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research has been breeding Arctic foxes in captivity since 2005. When the pups reach 9-months old, they are released into the wild. Over 18 years, 465 captive-bred foxes have been re- leased at nine locations across Norway, where they’re expected to bolster wild po- pulations. Releases bring risks, as introdu- cing foxes from the same breeding lines can reduce genetic diversity, and scientists are now focusing on improving genetics in wild populations through targeted releases. Source: BBC Future (2024)
bbc.co.uk/ future/article/20241210-the-arctic-fox- captive-breeding-programme-in-norway- and-sweden
.. . but 27,000 farmed salmon escape in Norway .. . Global seafood company Mowi offered a reward of NOK 500 (GBP 36) to fishers who caught escaped salmon after c. 27,000 fish went missing from a farm off the Norwegian coast. The world’s largest farmed salmon producer said 25%of its 105,000 sal- mon escaped from a cage in Troms, north- west Norway, after the outer ring of a pen was damaged during stormy weather. Escaped salmon pose huge environmental problems, threatening wild salmon by redu- cing genetic diversity, increasing infection from sea lice and intensifying competition for spawning grounds. Two-thirds of wild Atlantic salmon stocks in Norway are be- lieved to have genetic interference with es- caped farmed salmon. The country exports 1.2 million tonnes of farmed salmon a year, and last summer wild salmon numbers dropped to a historic low, resulting in the closure of 33 rivers to salmon fishing. Source: The Guardian (2025) theguardian. com/world/2025/feb/11/seafood-firm- bounty-escaped-salmon-norway
.. . and an illegal shipment of whale meat is found in dog food in Finland According to officials in Finland, c. 36 tof illegally imported whale meat was dis- covered in dog food in the country after a tip-off from Swedish customs officials. The minke whale meat was reportedly shipped from Norway in 2022 and used to feed working sled dogs in Finland because it was seen as a cheap source of food. It is thought customs officials discovered the export of the meat because of abnormalities in customs documents for a specific cargo shipment. Finnish law explicitly prohibits the import of whale products, and pro- secutors are considering filing charges. The minke whale is one of the species most severely affected by the whaling indus- try. Norway continues minke whale hunt- ing and during its 2024 hunting season .400 individual whales were killed at sea. This latest attempt to make a profit from the meat highlights a falling demand, with very few people in Norway now eating whale meat. Source: Whale and Dolphin Conservation (2025)
uk.whales.org/2025/01/03/huge- illegal-shipment-of-whale-meat-found-in- dog-food
Pine marten project achieves 100 translocations in the UK A decade-long conservation project to restore pine marten populations across Britain has reached a major milestone. A collaboration between Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) and Forestry and Land Scotland has seen pine martens from the latter’s forests boost populations in Wales, Gloucestershire and Devon, with .100 animals successfully translocated. For each translocation, the pine martens were safely and ethically captured, handled and trans- ported under licence from NatureScot. Pine martens were once on the brink of extinction because of habitat loss and historical persecution, but the project has strengthened populations in parts of Britain and helped provide renewed security for the animals. Hunting and woodland clearance restricted the species to just the Scottish Highlands and tiny pockets of Wales and northern England by the 20th century. Since work began to establish the feasibility of translocations in 2014, VWT and Forestry and Land Scotland have worked together to identify healthy, thriving populations from forests across Scotland that could help create sustainable populations in previously de- pleted regions. Source: BBC News (2025)
bbc.co.uk/news/ articles/cd7d3gvg172o
Restoration is helping native raptors thrive in Scotland A report by WildLand Cairngorms, an or- ganization that works to rehabilitate some of Scotland’s most precious landscapes, in- dicates that its efforts are having a positive effect. Since 2019, WildLand Cairngorms has been working on a tagging and moni- toring initiative for hen harriers, golden ea- gles and goshawks on their estates in Cairngorms National Park. During 2022– 2023 the team recorded a 100% survival rate for hen harrier nests. Golden eagle numbers have also increased, from four breeding pairs in 2021 to seven in 2023. And in 2021, two pairs of goshawks, previ- ously persecuted to extinction in the UK, bred successfully. Over the past 5 years, experts have been able to track the raptors, boosting understanding of their move- ments and what is needed to support their long-term survival. Data reveal the birds have travelled extensively across the High- lands, with some golden eagles being tracked as far as the Inner Hebrides. Source: Positive News (2025)
positive.news/ environment/restoration-is-helping-native- raptors-thrive-in-scotland-report-shows
Colombian tree frog found in UK highlights invasive species threat A small tree frog hitchhiking in a bunch of roses from Colombia to Sheffield, UK, in- spired a study into invasive species. The lead author realized that if a small verte- brate can arrive alive in a flower shipment from Colombia to the UK without being noticed at customs, it must be even more difficult to detect tiny agricultural insect pests or their eggs. The UK is vulnerable to pests and diseases arriving through the horticulture trade, particularly as climate change brings warmer, more humid con- ditions suitable for insects and diseases. The study analysed records of pests found in ornamental plants at customs in the Netherlands during 2017–2018, and those reported to the Department for Environ- ment, Food and Rural Affairs in the UK during 2021–2023. In both cases .80%of pests intercepted were insects. However, the researchers also found that European snakes, geckos and Italian wall lizards had made their way to northern Europe un- detected among imports of ornamental olive trees, and that other reptiles, spiders and fungi were also hitching rides around the world. Sources: BioScience (2025)
doi.org/g8z7zm & The Guardian (2025)
theguardian.com/ environment/2025/jan/17/colombian-tree- frog-sheffield-florist-invasive-species- threat
Oryx, 2025, 59(1), 4–9 © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605325000523
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