Nature and Conservation

I am all in favour of restoring our natural environment back to its original state. No one was more pleased than I at proposals to reintroduce long absent species such as wild boar, beaver, and even wolves back into our countryside. There is, however, a point at which we must draw a line, and acknowledge that what existed centuries ago may no longer be appropriate to the modern age.

In my opinion, that point was reached when plans were announced to reinstate the once common European goblin back to its former habitat, in the area now known as the Peak District. Apart from the understandable alarm and opposition of the sheep farmers, of which there are many in the Peak district, there are other, more troubling, concerns that would stem from such a scheme.

Although the staple diet of the goblin is sheep, which is by far their preference, they will occasionally eat the odd child. Goblins are known to be a lazy species, and children tend to be more easily caught than sheep. Supporters of goblin repopulation claim that the number of children eaten would be almost negligible -two or three per year, at most- but several parents groups in the area maintain that even that would be unacceptable. I tend to agree.