further to the concerns about dangerous wildlife in the UK...

[treaclefight]

i've now heard that there are alligators in our rivers, can we have a run down of the most unusual animals living wild on our doorsteps :-)

[Squirrel]

Resisting the urge to say "Jehovah's Witnesses", I've seen the following living wild in the UK before and I thought they were pretty strange:

' several common lizards (native species) http://www.darkwave.org.uk/~caleb/uksauria.html

' one small black scorpion in someone's vegetable patch (apparently rare);

' some butterflies that flew over from Africa one year, apparently, that I've never seen since.

...Nothing huge or life threatening, though.

[Rabelais]

There are all sorts of imported animals in this country, which have been imported either accidentally or by design and then released. A colony of wallabies in the Welsh borders, Sika and Muntjac deer live wild in Oxfordshire and are an import from China, Coypu (a giant rodent from South America) Mink and wild Boar all live free in the New Forest. Rabbits were imported by the Normans, the Dormouse was imported by the Romans and the Gray Squirrel is also an import. In addition to these you have lots of temporary visitor in areas like Ports. In Portsmouth you have varieties of Scorpions that have been brought on ships that live happily in the dockyard. Up until the early sixties no regulation of dangerous animals existed so many people kept large cats (this is still true in Northern Ireland) and plenty were released into the wild. There is also the red woodlouse spider which has been known to bite but is hardly in the league of Atrax robusta so I wouldn't too much.

[FredPuli]

Malaria was once known in the UK. In 1658 Oliver Cromwell died of it. In those days it was found particularly in fenland and marshy areas. Cromwell himself came from, and retained interests in, the fenlands of East Anglia.

[Lardybloke]

The only native anial to watch out for id the Adder, and only then if you're young, old or have heart probs. And always check in between bananas bought from supermarkets....

[Tintin19]

There are still many reportings of big cats, panthers etc living around the British Isles. In fact I think a young boy got attacked by one in the last year or two. Although I was surprised to discover after moving to Cricklewood, NW London that there had been sightings there. An Urban Tiger maybe??