Other carnivores
Except for the wildcat and fox, Scotland’s surviving land carnivores are mainly members of the weasel family.
We lost our largest carnivores – the wolf, bear and lynx – long ago due to hunting pressure. Four carnivores are vulnerable to persecution today, so have full legal protection.
Our protected carnivores:
Large carnivores kill their smaller competitors, and so human management of one species may release the pressure on another. For example, foxes prey on pine martens, but where foxes are heavily controlled, marten population densities may increase.
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