Gardening expert Monty Don says wolves should be reintroduced to the countryside

Wolves should be reintroduced to the countryside to prevent deer from killing off woodlands, according to Monty Don.

The Daily Mail Weekend columnist and host of BBC Gardeners’ World said deer now have no natural predators – such as wolves – meaning they run rampant through woodland threatening bird populations by eating too much tree bark.

‘I think it’s an interesting idea to introduce wolves,’ he added. 

‘Deer are a problem. We look at them as incredibly beautiful animals and think of culling them as murder. But all animals need to have predators and if deer eat all the trees then the wildlife that benefits from those trees will disappear.’

Don said ‘the chance of people being attacked by wolves [was] infinitesimally small’ but said they should be reintroduced in remote areas only.

In his new book, My Garden World, Mr Don said gardeners had to change their attitude to wildlife regarded as ‘pests’.

Slugs, he told The Sunday Telegraph, should be seen as a symptom of a problem as they seek ‘plants that are dying or overfed’. Instead, gardeners should focus on healthy plants and a ‘holistic garden’.

Don said ‘the chance of people being attacked by wolves [was] infinitesimally small’ but said they should be reintroduced in remote areas only [File photo]