An impossible tusk?

A grey squirrel, a muntjac and a Chinese water deer make up the Bedford — an alternative Macnab for East Anglia

- SAM CARLISLE

When you invite a friend to dinner, or for a day’s shooting, it’s always pleasant if they bring a bottle of wine or sloe gin. In the 1890s, if you invited Herbrand Russell, the 11th Duke of Bedford, to stay, you were less likely to be handed a bottle on his arrival than a pair of exotic pets. His predilection for gifting foreign animals was considered the height of style.

“Today, the duke’s present-giving would be illegal”

Today, his cavalier present-giving would not only be absurd but also illegal. The animals that the 11th Duke introduced are now threatening some of our most precious, native flora and fauna. Most prominent of his introductions are the grey squirrel, muntjac, and Chinese water deer.

These three species simultaneously occur in a number of pockets of the country, such as close to the original release site at Woburn Abbey, and in East Anglia. Their connection as invasive species, all introduced to England by one man, and all inhabiting the same region, made me wonder if I could hunt them all within a single day. A conservation-minded, alternative Macnab if you will, named after the Duke himself: the Bedford.

Proliferation

I live inland in Suffolk and, while our farm suffers from a proliferation of muntjac and grey squirrels, Chinese water deer have not yet reached us. I put in a call to my friend Nat, who lives about half an hour away in the Norfolk Broads, and has these fanged deer in abundance. He was the perfect partner to help me achieve the Bedford. Like the original Macnab, our own adventure would take place across multiple areas.