Derek Gow (born 1965) is a UK-based reintroduction expert, farmer and author[1] known for his work with watervoles, white storks, wildcats,[2] and Eurasian beavers.[3]

He also imported the first Heck cattle to the UK. However, after aggressive behaviour could harm or even kill handlers, a significant proportion of the herd was culled.[4][5]

Born in Dundee, he left school when he was 17 and worked in agriculture for five years. Inspired by the writing of Gerald Durrell, he jumped at the chance to manage a European wildlife park in central Scotland in the late 1990s before moving on to develop two nature centres in England. Gow owns a 300 acre farm in Lifton, Devon, which is home to captive breeding facilities, accommodation and a working farm.[6] Much of the land is under the process of rewilding, like the Knepp Estate. The farm is home to many species, including Eurasian lynx, wild boar, beavers, white storks and harvest mice.[7] Gow has helped to set up Celtic Reptile & Amphibian.

Books

  • Gow, Derek (2022). Bringing Back the Beaver: The Story of One Man’s Quest to Rewild Britain’s Waterways. Chelsea Green Publishing UK. ISBN 9781645021223.
  • Gow, Derek (2022). Birds, Beasts and Bedlam: Turning My Farm Into an Ark For Lost Species. Chelsea Green Publishing UK. ISBN 9781645021339.
  • Gow, Derek (2024). Hunt for the Shadow Wolf [US Edition]: The lost history of wolves in Britain and the myths and stories that surround them. Chelsea Green Publishing UK. ISBN 9781915294463.

References

  1. ↑ "An interview with Derek Gow: Bringing Back the Beaver". www.nhbs.com. 11 September 2020. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  2. ↑ "'It's going to be our way now': the guerrilla rewilder shaking up British farming". The Guardian. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "Bringing Back the Beaver - Chelsea Green Publishing". Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Devon farmer forced to offload aggressive Nazi-bred 'super cows'". The Guardian. 5 January 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  5. ↑ "British farmer forced to destroy herd of 'aggressive' Nazi-bred super". The Independent. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "Derek Gow". Chelsea Green UK. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
  7. ↑ "Wildcats, storks and beavers: my stay on a Devon rewilding farm". The Guardian. 5 June 2021. Retrieved 28 October 2021.


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