Man goes birdwatching in UK and finds animal that ‘shouldn’t be here’ | Nature | News
The predator was seen living wild in a forest area (stock image) (Image: Getty)
A man traveled to a popular tourist site in the UK where he managed to find an “unexpected” creature living in the UK. Encountering animals that are not native to our land can be an unusual experience.
Apex predators are incredibly important to various ecosystems; They are at the top of the food chain, with no natural enemies or predators of their own. Examples include orcas, great white sharks, tigers, brown bears, komodo dragons, lions and more.
The UK has no apex predators, but there are animal species that dominate their habitats, such as the golden eagle and red fox. So it was quite a shock when a man in the West Midlands found a predator “living in the wild in Wolverhampton”.
James Cook, who shares content on the internet under the name Wildlife with Cookie, has gathered more than 165,000 followers on Instagram, where he focuses on wildlife and nature issues.
In a recent video and photo series, he outlined his quest to find “a predator that shouldn’t be in the UK”, suspecting it may have been brought into the country “illegally”.
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Is it the hunter in question? The eagle owl, one of the largest owl species that is not native to the UK. They are naturally found in other parts of Europe as well as Asia; Some species, such as the spotted eagle owl, are common in South Africa.
Visitors were snapping photos of the owl after it was spotted at Wightwick Manor, a sprawling Victorian mansion and gardens that is a popular tourist destination in Wolverhampton. Numerous people had contacted James to confirm the species.
Equipped with “camera batteries, thermal binoculars, action camera,” James managed to find the “monster” and documented his adventures on the popular social media platform. The official confirmed that staff told him the owl had been seen in the area intermittently for about three years.
Alongside a series of photos, he revealed he had tracked down “the apex predator in the UK” and said: “It’s not every day you see an eagle owl in the wild, let alone living wild and free in the UK! But recently, I was lucky enough to find one in Wolverhampton huh?!”
He described the use of thermal technology as a “game changer when locating animals” and that “even owls can’t hide”.
James continued: “From all the information I can gather on this magnificent looking beast, it appears to be female, has no identification ring on its leg and has been living wild in the Wolverhampton area for approximately 3 years.
“I noticed a half-eaten mouse on the ground underneath him so I can only assume he was successful!”
Still “he shouldn’t be here”. He added: “The Verreaux Eagle Owl will not be able to travel to the UK of its own accord and so this is most likely a released or escaped pet from captivity – due to the lack of an identification leg ring I am led to believe it was potentially unlawfully kept and subsequently illegally released.
“But what is certain is that she is absolutely gorgeous and a rather unexpected sight in the UK.”
In the comments section, other Instagram users were eager to express their opinions.
One of them said: “She’s beautiful but I can’t help but feel sorry for her living alone in the UK. I also won’t give out her location as people will harass her or worse try to harm her.”
Another said: “Hopefully he gets caught and not killed if that’s what he has to do, he’s been out there surviving on his own for a while.”
A third noted: “It’s amazing that she managed to survive in completely different climatic conditions! The poor guy or girl doesn’t have a mate though, so sad.”
Another said: “This is so crazy Cookie, but what a great find.”
James added: “It’s on National Trust land, it’s safe.”
