As some of you will be aware, in a former existence I lived in Tanzania, in a small house in the forest on Kilimanjaro. Large mammals were all around, and my garden was raided by both elephants and African buffaloes. Both are easily scared off with a shoo, but the result of a visitation is not pretty. As I have recorded elsewhere, on one visit from a herd of buffalo about the only untouched plants were clumps of Narcissus tazetta. While on a visit home at that time, I was at a friend's snowdrop lunch and doing the tour of the garden. Conversation turned to the damage done by muntjac deer (a dog-sized beast now thoroughly naturalised southern England, causing a lot of damage to woodland and gardens). Several people were bemoaning their presence and activities, so I said quietly 'I had an elephant in my garden last week.' The happiest memory is of an elderly gentleman enquiring "Did you say an elephant...?" Incidentally, I had no difficulties with rodents in that garden, although there was an infinite variety of them. This was probably because I had two cats and an eagle owl. Here, also surrounded by woodland and fields, we are bothered by just about every species of wildlife in the book, but there is little we can realistically do about it, beyond protective cages for newly planted trees, fencing to minimise badger incursions, and an occasional shot. We do poison squirrels in spring, but I heard a salutary tale today in which a much-loved dog had got to some squirrel bait and had very nearly died, so one really does have to be very careful about using such things. John Grimshaw Dr John M. Grimshaw Garden Manager, Colesbourne Gardens Sycamore Cottage Colesbourne Nr Cheltenham Gloucestershire GL53 9NP Website: http://www.colesbournegardens.org.uk/