![\"\"](\"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_2941-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDay 108 of the End to End in 2019 meant there were now only 10 days left to walk to John O’Groats. I was still heading north on the John O’Groats Trail, admiring balancing seals and being dive bombed by Arctic Terns. But all too soon I had to leave the JOGT and take my chances with 3 miles of the A9 to an unremarkable lay-by before the Lothbeg turn-off. It is here you will find the sign that records, somewhat out of time, the death of the last wolf in Sutherland.<\/p>\n
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Whilst it is said to have happened over 3 centuries ago and only ‘near here’ the memorial was not erected until some time later. I wonder at the gap. Was there a sudden interest in lost species? Did the local community gradually come to mourn the loss of the top predator?<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_2955-300x169.jpg\")
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In 2020, in the last week, the UK’s Red List of Mammals facing extinction has been published. It includes doormice, red squirrels, hedgehogs and wild cats. It doesn’t include weasels, but that seems to have been a close call. I definitely doesn’t include wolves. The last wolf in Sutherland died round a bout here three centuries ago.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/DSC_2915-300x169.jpg\")
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Of all the things I’ve seen and recorded on LEJOG insects come top followed by birds. Of mammals I’ve seen rabbits (introduced by the Romans), hares (introduced in the Iron Age), Scottish Red Deer and Roe Deer (both natives), grey squirrels (introduced in the 19th century), a fox, common seals, a stoat and dead hedgehogs, the later entirely road death victims. I sometimes wonder what our landscape would look like if we put up memorials to them all.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/deer-300x169.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
(photo: a deer crosses the TPT in Longdendale)<\/p>\n
There are UK mammals I still hope to see: water voles, otters and red squirrels would be my top three. I did see some red squirrels years ago on the Lancashire coast, but none recently. I saw some otters in a sanctuary in the SW but not in the wild. It seems that the native wildlife needs sanctuary from us.<\/p>\n
From the remembered bible, the book of Revelation I wonder, if the last wolf of Sutherland howls in the heavenly court, JAL: 03.08.2020 in Longdendale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Day 108 of the End to End in 2019 meant there were now only 10 days left to walk to John O’Groats. I was still heading north on the John O’Groats Trail, admiring balancing seals and being dive bombed by Arctic Terns. But all too soon I had to leave the JOGT and take my … Continue reading “At the last”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-remembered-bible"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1269"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1271,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1269\/revisions\/1271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foowr.org.uk\/lejogblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nI was shown the river of the water of life and on each side the tree of life was growing, which fruits twelve times a year and its leaves heal the nations.<\/em><\/p>\n
\nblending her voice with the Saints, praising her Creator.
\nI wonder if she sits alongside the Dodo and the Great Auk
\nand countless other species eradicated by human activity,
\non a red carpet reflecting their status,
\nand if all those seeking admission have to acknowledge them
\nbefore they see the Lamb on the Throne.
\nI wonder how many more sanctuaries will be needed
\nfor doormice, wild cats and weasels
\nbefore we turn our lives around.
\nI wonder if I will return to the memorial in the lay-by on the A9
\nin years to come, rejoicing or in tears.
\nBehold, the Lamb of God: blessed are those welcome to the feast!<\/strong><\/p>\n