Accepted scientific usage is that a feral animal is an escaped
domestic animal returned fully to the wild after generations of
freedom. Introduced pest animals and plants that have never been
domesticated are termed 'exotic' - thus, we have cattle, camels,
donkeys, pigs, trout, goldfish, dogs, cats and so on that are feral
(NOT stray). They return to their original wild appearance too, so a
feral cat is very large and tabby; a feral goldfish is bronze and
small, diamond shaped, not orange; a feral pig is small black and
hairy, ready to be shot and exported to the French as wild boar. On
the other hand, foxes and blackbirds are exotics.
Feral is often confused with 'savage' and is a pejorative term. It is
also used here as a disapproving description of certain people, neo-
hippies usually, who have gone wild in the woods in warmer parts -
living on a mixture of dope and welfare. What the English seem to
call travellers (pseudo-Gypsies).
Andrew Fildes
afildes@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
On 27/05/2006, at 3:57 PM, Chris Barker wrote:
>
> Not so, AndrewF. It means "wild", from the Latin "ferus". It
> doesn't mean unendangered, unfortunately in some cases ;-).
>
> Have a great time on your Great Journey.
>
> Chris
> ~~ >-)-
> C M I Barker
> Cambridgeshire, Great Britain.
> +44 (0)7092 251126
> www.threeshoes.co.uk
> homepage.mac.com/zuiko
>
>
> On 26 May 2006, at 23:52, Andrew Fildes wrote:
>
>> By definition, nothing feral is endangered.
>> The place mentioned, Noosa heads, is a habitat where the once
>> domesticated yuppie can return entirely to the wild, paying
>> exorbitant prices to sip chai latte and eat precious little artworks
>> in a quaintly restructured setting. They teem and breed there and its
>> only redeeming feature is that it keeps them away from the rest of us
>> and, mercifully, reduces their impact on the the rest of the
>> environment.
>
>
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