An impossible tusk?
“Today, the duke’s present-giving would be illegal”
When you invite a friend to dinner, or for a day’s shooting, it’s always pleasant if they bring a bottle of wine or sloe gin. In the 1890s, if you invited Herbrand Russell, the 11th Duke of Bedford, to stay, you were less likely to be handed a bottle on his arrival than a pair of exotic pets. His predilection for gifting foreign animals was considered the height of style.
Today, his cavalier present-giving would not only be absurd but also illegal. The animals that the 11th Duke introduced are now threatening some of our most precious, native flora and fauna. Most prominent of his introductions are the grey squirrel, muntjac and Chinese water deer.
These three species simultaneously occur in a number of pockets of the country, such as close to the original release site at Woburn Abbey, and in East Anglia.
