Thousands of years ago, Britain was covered by thick forests, home to many animals which no longer live in the United Kingdom. There were wolves and bears, many different kinds of deer and large wild cows. There were less than four million people. They lived in small villages protected by wooden walls from the animals outside.
All this has changed, of course. Now the population of the United Kingdom has increased to sixty-five million. Three-quarters of Britain is covered with fields, towns or cities. Although 25 percent of land is countryside, new methods of farming mean that there are fewer birds and small animals living in fields than ever before. The United Kingdom is one of the few countries in the world that does not have a large wild animal that eats meat. In Scotland there are only 400 wildcats, but these are much smaller than wolves.
Some people would like to change things, however! Some organizations and writers say that Britain needs to become more natural again. They suggest that trees and plants that grew in the UK before towns and cities were built should be allowed to grow again. They even say that large wild animals which have not lived in the UK should be helped to return and live wild. They call this "rewilding".
Not everyone agrees. In the last twenty years, over one million trees which at first grew in Scotland have been planted and there are plans for more—but wild animals? Some people ask if wolves will attack sheep or even humans. They are also angry that rewilding might mean an end to walking in the hills which so many people enjoy. So far there are no wolves or bears in Britain's forests—but soon there might be!
