The predator has been spotted living wild in a woodland area (stock image) (Image: Getty)
A man ventured to a popular tourist site where he managed to find an “unexpected” creature living here in the UK. It can be an unusual experience to come across animals which aren’t native to our land.
Apex predators are incredibly important for a variety of ecosystems; they’re at the pinnacle of the food chain with no natural enemies or predators of their own. Examples include orcas, great white sharks, tigers, brown bears, komodo dragons, lions and more.
The UK doesn’t have apex predators, though there are animal species which dominate their respective habitats, such as golden eagles and red foxes. So it was quite a shock when a man in the West Midlands found an apex predator “living in the wild in Wolverhampton”.
James Cook, who shares content online under the name Wildlife with Cookie, has gathered more than 165,000 followers on Instagram, where he concentrates on wildlife and nature.
In a recent series of videos and photos, he outlined his quest to find “an apex predator that should NOT be in the UK,” suspecting she may have been brought to the country “illegally”.
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The predator in question? An eagle owl, one of the largest species of owl, which is not native to the UK. They’re naturally found in other areas of Europe as well as Asia, while some species like the spotted eagle owl are common in southern Africa.
Visitors had been taking photographs of the owl after it was spotted at Wightwick Manor, an expansive Victorian manor house and gardens that’s a popular tourist destination in Wolverhampton. Numerous people had contacted James to verify the species.
Equipped with “camera batteries, thermal binoculars, action camera”, James succeeded in finding “the beast”, and documented his adventures on the popular social media platform. He confirmed staff told him the owl had been seen in the vicinity intermittently for around three years.
Alongside a series of photos, he revealed he tracked down the “apex predator in the UK” and said: “It’s not every day you get to see an eagle owl in the wild, let alone living wild and free here in the UK! But recently, I was fortunate enough to track one down in Wolverhampton of all places?!”
He described the use of thermal technology as a “game changer when locating animals” as “even owls can’t hide”.
James continued: “Of all the information I managed to gather of this gorgeous looking beast, it appears that it’s female, has no ID ring on her leg and has been living wild in the Wolverhampton area for around 3 years.
“I noticed a half eaten rat on the floor underneath her so I can only assume she’s thriving!”
Yet she “shouldn’t be here”. He added: “The Verreauxs Eagle Owl would NOT be able to travel to the UK on its own accord and therefore this is most likely a pet that has been released or has escaped captivity – due to the lack of an ID leg ring, I’m led to believe she has potentially been illegally kept and then illegally released.
“What’s for certain though, is she’s absolutely gorgeous and a rather unexpected sight here in the UK.”
In the comments section, fellow Instagram users were eager to express their views.
One said: “She’s sooo beautiful but I can’t help but feel sad for her living alone in the UK. I also wouldn’t give out the location as people will end up disturbing her or worse trying to harm her.”
Another stated: “Hope if she has to be then she’s captured and not killed, she has been there for a while surviving on her own.”
A third noted: “It’s great that it managed to survive the totally different climate! Still, poor guy or girl doesn’t have a mate, very sad.”
Another said: “That’s crazy Cookie, what a great find though.”
James added: “It’s on National Trust land, it’s safe.”