Green Party leader Eamon Ryan has called on the Irish government to reintroduce wolves into the country.
Eamon Ryan has said that the reintroduction of wolves into Ireland would create a real sense of wilderness and help develop more resilient woodlands.
Speaking on Tuesday, Ryan said: "Would we bring wolves in our country? I think yes. Bring back a sense of wilderness. And bring back ecology, in a sense that those wolves would prey on deer that are actually holding back forestry at the present time.
"And you see what's happened in other countries, that you actually restore natural ecosystems that are more resilient, that are more attractive, that have much more diverse natural systems in a whole range of different ways."
However, Josepha Madigan, the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht has since said that her department have no plans to reintroduce wolves into the country, saying that the "large predator" doing so would do damage to farming.
She tweeted: "The reintroduction of a large predator which has been absent for 250 years might undermine existing conservation programmes and would do considerable damage to farming."
So no wolves anytime soon, apparently.
It is believed that the last wolf in Ireland was killed over 250 years ago.
