The only reason for including them on banknotes would be as a warning.
The decision by the Bank of England to replace historical figures such as Winston Churchill on its bank notes with pictures of “wildlife” has already been taken apart by Charlie.
But an update is due, because for some, inevitably, this downgrade has not gone far enough.
In discussing the proposed change in The Week, we noted that the stipulation that the featured fauna should be “native” had a “regrettably xenophobic” tinge, but as sincere as our regret about this most surely was, we are absolutely mortified that we failed to point out that the range of animals being discussed — badgers, hedgehogs and so on — was made up of some of Britain’s most popular species.
While approving of the change in principle, the RSPCA (Britain’s equivalent of the ASPCA) is trying to see if a stop can be put to such crude populism.
Geoff Edmond, of the RSPCA, said: “Showcasing our native wildlife on everyday banknotes is a wonderful way to celebrate the animals that we share our towns, cities and countryside with — including the ones who don’t always make the ‘most popular’ lists.
“While some animals are obvious favourites, there are many amazing animals that we see every day that are often overlooked, or misunderstood.
“What about the pigeons who have been our friends for thousands of years, or rats, with their amazing memories, or even gulls, with their amazing levels of intelligence? They are all fascinating wild animals in their own right — and deserve recognition too.”
Mr. Edmond added: “Brits love wildlife — and animals like foxes, gulls, rats, and pigeons are clever and adaptable, and each have their own interesting personality.
“Rats have been trained to detect disease and locate landmines, while pigeons played key roles in both World Wars, carrying messages – and we think that’s worth celebrating.”
I doubt if Mr. Edmonds is too worried by the fact that rats are not native to the British Isles.
I have nothing against pigeons (a fine statue of one currently stands near where I live), which can be tasty too, and I have always loved the seagull’s cry. Perhaps the latter could be honored for their most famous martial moment. As described by Daphne du Maurier in her short story, The Birds, they were a key part of the avian Luftwaffe:
Then he saw them. The gulls. Out there, riding the seas.
What he had thought at first to be the white caps of the waves were gulls. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. . . . They rose and fell in the trough of the seas, heads to the wind, like a mighty fleet at anchor, waiting on the tide. To eastward and to the west, the gulls were there. They stretched as far as his eye could reach, in close formation, line upon line. Had the sea been still, they would have covered the bay like a white cloud, head to head, body packed to body. Only the east wind, whipping the sea to breakers, hid them from the shore.
The Hitchcock film inspired by The Birds (of which du Maurier was no fan) was set in California, but the original story was located in Britain.
As for rats, let’s just say I’m with New York City’s former Mayor Adams.
The only reason for including them on banknotes would be as a warning. They could be depicted scuttling across the urban landscapes devastated by the warmth of collectivism.