Much attention is given to invasive species within Britain — grey squirrels, signal crayfish and mink among them. But historically explorers from Britain also played a major role in moving species around the globe, often with major ecological consequences.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, colonialists, acclimatisation societies and traders introduced fauna to new lands for food, sport, transport or aesthetics. In many cases, these species thrived — often at the expense of native wildlife.
Here are six notable examples, many of which are still causing impacts today.
Dromedary camel (Camelus dromedarius)
Although not a British species, the value of the domesticated dromedary camel as a beast of burden was well recognised in the Sahara and Middle East. In the 19th century, animals were taken to work the large, arid regions of Australia by British colonialists and explorers, as well as by Afghan cameleers and global trade.
While some camels escaped, many were released following the emergence of more efficient, motorised transport. By 2008, one million camels were believed to be part of a feral population, forcing a cull to protect native plant flora.
Red fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Familiar in much of the Northern Hemisphere, the red fox was brought to Australia in the 1830s by settlers keen to adopt the British pastime of fox hunting. Although they failed to settle in Tasmania, numbers exploded on the mainland.
The fox has had a massive impact on native species, with its aggressive hunting even contributing to the extinction of animals such as the desert rat-kangaroo (Caloprymnus campestris). More than seven million foxes are now estimated to be present across Australia.
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Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
Small populations of mute swan are found in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Africa, but it is in North America where they have had most impact. Introduced in the mid-19th century, they are now considered invasive, with extensive impact to native flora and their size allowing them to outcompete native wildfowl.
European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)
Having been introduced to the British Isles by the Romans and Normans, the rabbit becamenaturalised and widespread, an adaptation that colonialists hoped to replicate at the height of the British Empire.
Rabbits were carried with the First Fleet in 1788, and subsequent releases to Australia and New Zealand saw a mid-19th century population explosion (a major ecological disaster started in 1859 when rabbits were released for sport hunting). Damage to crops and native floraled to extreme efforts of control including the intentional release of the Myxoma and RHDVviruses.
Brown trout (Salmo trutta)
As well as being introduced for food, some animals have been moved as ornamental species or to provide early settlers with a sense of familiarity.
Such was the popularity of brown trout in the 19th century, both for their culinary and sporting qualities, that efforts were made to introduce them wherever the habitat seemed agreeable.
Trout eggs were taken from the River Itchen in England to Melbourne, Australia, in 1864 and from Loch Leven in Scotland to New York in 1885, with similar transfers made to parts of South America, Africa and Asia. The brown trout’s successful acclimatisation has often been to the detriment of native species.
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Stoat (Mustela erminea)
Aside from two species of bat, New Zealand has no native land mammals, so the introduction of the rabbit in the 19th century created almost instant disharmony. In the 1880s, the stoat was introduced as a means of controlling rabbit numbers.
There was opposition to this, as scientists warned of the impact upon native bird populations, and within six years those fears were founded, with this small yet fierce carnivore causing dramatic declines, particularly among flightless birds – impacts that continue to this day.
