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In August 2017, road signs appeared in Suffolk declaring ‘CATS EYES REMOVED’. The county council was letting drivers know that there were no longer reflective studs down the middle of the road, but concerns about animal cruelty were raised. Children and tourists were particularly upset at the suggestion of pet felines being randomly blinded. The signs were removed.

England is a nation of animal lovers, after all. We love our pets, we spend hours watching nature documentaries, and most of us would leap at the chance to take a safari in Africa, or spot bison in Poland. But when it comes to our native wildlife, things get more complicated. Anything from wild boar to beavers have everyone – the public, landowners, farmers and the government – up in arms. We can’t seem to agree on the role of our wildlife. Opportunity or threat? Harmless or harmful? At Responsible Travel, we sell plenty of wildlife holidays in Scotland, but wildlife holidays in England just don’t exist. Why?

To start with, there isn’t much to spot. Deer and grey squirrels may be thriving, but 56 percent of species in the UK are in decline, according to Rewilding Britain. The wildlife that remains is rarely free to go about its business quietly. Badgers are being culled in an attempt to halt the spread of bovine tuberculosis and the National Trust still allows trail hunting on its land, which can result in foxes being killed. In Devon, a wild population of beavers have won the right to keep their home in the River Otter, but only until 2020. England is no longer home to the big beasts that still roam through Europe, either – those wolves, bear and lynx that transform landscapes and draw in revenue from wildlife tourism.