AIBU to wonder what people don't like about Chris Packham?

[MRex]

Obviously people actually setting fire to his gates are plain lunatics: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-58861252. The article talks about all these other online threats, dead animals and other mischief however, which implies a fair number of individuals who expend time and energy going after him. He's just an environmentalist campaigner who wants a bit more wild space, a few beavers introduced, fewer birds shot... he isn't a man of great power. So what do these people fear so much?

I don't agree with everything he says but he is who he is. I did mind when he said that dogs shouldn't be allowed off lead anywhere in the New Forest. I am not talking about badly trained dogs..he said no dogs.

The green ink brigade seem to like to have a target to fixate on, its a really interesting subject imo.

@2Two

Hunting is still a way of life for many who’ve been born and bred in the countryside. Livelihoods depend on farmers being able to cull badgers and foxes.

I don't think Packham or most people who are anti-hunt necessarily have any issue with culling foxes. The issue is doing it by getting together a load of idiots in red coats and chasing them over the countryside before allowing hounds to tear them apart. It's not only inhumane, it's grossly inefficient, and they also do quite a bit of damage to countryside and farmland.

I have a friend who lives in Scotland in sheep country. The farmers employ trained people to come in and shoot the foxes to keep the numbers down. Its cheaper and more efficient than operating a hunt. There is no need at all to hunt in order to manage fox numbers.....or deer numbers.

I've always liked him... But then I also quite fancy him too.

Fascinated to know what extremist views some previous posters seem to think he holds

I have a friend who lives in Scotland in sheep country. The farmers employ trained people to come in and shoot the foxes to keep the numbers down. Its cheaper and more efficient than operating a hunt. There is no need at all to hunt in order to manage fox numbers.....or deer numbers.

Excellent We could do with more, including people to deal with urban foxes.

@Badgercity

I don’t think his step daughter particularly or intentionally benefited from nepotism. She was only initially on air during lockdown Springwatch when the BBC was doing their best to continue a regular schedule. Chris needs someone else on camera with him when he is live because this ASD can tend to lead him to rambling off topic or talking too long. It turns out she was a very good and confident presenter, she’s passionate about wildlife and nature and is a lovely sidekick to Chris. Why not invite her back after lockdown was lifted?

Before she was doing spring watch she and Chris in the first lockdown were doing stuff every weekday morning from their garden or immediate locality and filming it themselves and broadcasting live on (i think) YouTube. Kind of aimed at school kids who were off school but really good for anyone. So there used to be that and then Joe Wicks. She was really good with him then.

I live in the countryside and absolutely love him.

I have heard before of the shooting/blood sports fraternity destroying property or threatening violence to those they perceive to be against them. It suggests there’s some very unpleasant people involved in those communities, although obviously not all.

I’ve personally come across Chris Packham when I was a quite young, and doing a fairly hopeless job at what I was supposed to be helping him with. Looking back although I was trying very hard I was really quite incompetent and he was nothing but lovely and encouraging. He absolutely didn’t have to be as I was very far down the pecking order (think waitress) and was probably very annoying! Always think it’s the sign of a good egg - pardon the pun - when someone is genuinely kind and polite when they don’t have to be. So totally rotten he’s experiencing this harassment.

@2Two

I have a friend who lives in Scotland in sheep country. The farmers employ trained people to come in and shoot the foxes to keep the numbers down. Its cheaper and more efficient than operating a hunt. There is no need at all to hunt in order to manage fox numbers.....or deer numbers.

Excellent We could do with more, including people to deal with urban foxes.

if we would manage our urban refuse better....much less food waste for a start, then urban fox numbers would dwindle laturally

@Megan2018

He’s an absolute arsehole. But he shouldn’t have his gates set on fire for that. I disagree most of what he says, as do the majority of people that live in the countryside. He’s an extremist. He also loves the attention.

This "we who live in the countryside mostly approve of bloodsports and townies don't understand us" is such bullshit

ha "naturally"

@HesterShaw1

"This "we who live in the countryside mostly approve of bloodsports and townies don't understand us" is such bullshit"

yup.

if we would manage our urban refuse better....much less food waste for a start, then urban fox numbers would dwindle laturally

I completely agree, but I can't see it happening so better pest control would be welcome.

I love him, he pushes boundaries because he's so passionate. I'm also a country bumpkin who loathes blood sports. Good on him I say and hope to God no one gets hurt if the hate campaign escalates.

I have an issue with anyone claiming to be an environmentalist but will happily jetset all over the world to make documentaries. Its not just Chris, I don't know him so have no idea if he's a decent human being or not, but I loath winter/autumn / spring watch programs I find them patronising and hypocritical. Much like when they had presenters broadcasting from other parts of the world, but banging on about environmental warming....hmmm bet they went by air to get to Australia. It's do as I say, don't do as I do. Well if you want to stop people jet setting to look at stunning natural environments, don't bloody film it!

Excellent We could do with more, including people to deal with urban foxes

Why? Why have we got more of a right to habitat our towns than the animals who lived there before us? Too many humans is the problem not too many foxes.

And yes yes to 'the townies don't understand how the countryside works' shite.

@drpaddington

Locally people don't like him because he stopped seagull culling (or something along those lines) which means for several months of the year people are woken in the early hours by seagulls (it really is loud!) They can't dry their washing outside, can't let their children play in the garden because there's so much poo on the ground, and have to wash poo off their cars daily. They sometimes get aggressive too.

And that's the point Christ makes isn't it?

If human beings hadn't inflicted such degradation on the gulls' natural environment (no such bird as a "seagull"), then they wouldn't gather round areas where there are such cheap and easy food sources. They are actually in decline because strangely enough, junk food which might have been sitting in the sun in a bin bag is less nutritious than a fish caught at sea.

Then we complain that their behaviour isn't convenient to us. Stop eating fish then!

This "we who live in the countryside mostly approve of bloodsports and townies don't understand us" is such bullshit

Also agree, spot on.

The New forest has more than its fair share of pretty awful people, many treat the forest like it’s their own private estate and it’s nit surprising- the verderers are stuck in the 1800. It’s gammon central down there.

And there are some deeply unpleasant people within the blood”sports” community. If you’re taking pleasure from the death of another creature you are a failed human being in my book, and it’s about as far away from being a sport as knitting is.

Chris not Christ 😁

@Megan2018

He’s an absolute arsehole. But he shouldn’t have his gates set on fire for that. I disagree most of what he says, as do the majority of people that live in the countryside. He’s an extremist. He also loves the attention.

The majority of countryside dwellers are not pro-bloodsports. Stop talking out of your arse

And that's the point Christ makes isn't it?

He's good but I'm not sure he's walking on water level good

Preachy individual, and a bore.
But burning his gates, if that's what happened is not the answer.

I’m a big fan of Chris. He’s had dead animals pinned to his gates before. Yet he keeps on going undeterred by it all. Thank goodness for people like him.

Because he has made enemies of the game shooting, gun toting, blood sport hunting community that festers and ruins the countryside and the only way they know to fight back is intimidation and violence and fists, not persuasive rhetoric and debate.. daft, as it proves his point!