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This is from the Press Association
HSA0260 4 HHH 590 PA
1 ENVIRONMENT Voles
NEW BID TO BOOST WATER VOLE NUMBERS
By Amanda Brown, Environment Correspondent, PA News
A bid to protect one of Britain's most endangered native animal
species from
regional extinction gets under way today.
Bristol Zoo Gardens will be establishing a new colony of 70 water
voles in a
secret location near the city.
Famed as Ratty in Kenneth Grahame's novel The Wind In The Willows,
water voles
have suffered a catastrophic decline in numbers over recent years, due
to
habitat loss caused by riverside developments, pollution and the
introduction of
the American mink.
Mistaken identity with brown rats has also led to cases of
poisoning.
Recent figures show the enormous impact of these environmental
changes on
these creatures.
In just seven years from 1989 to 1996, numbers fell by 90% from more
than
seven million to fewer than 900,000 individuals.
This includes a 97% population decline in the South West of
England.
The animals being released this spring are captive bred from
populations held
by Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wildwood, Kent.
Prior to release, each water vole has been health-checked by the
zoo's
veterinary department to ensure they do not carry diseases and they
have the
best chance of survival.
Of the 70 water voles being released, 15 will be fitted with a
specially
designed radio collar which does not interfere with the animal's life,
but is
vital in allowing Bristol Zoo Gardens to monitor dispersal.
All the water voles have also been ID chipped, allowing individuals
to be
identified for ongoing studies into the effectiveness of the release.
Reintroduction will be conducted via holding pens planted into the
ground at a
secure and suitable location currently uninhabited by water voles,
characterised
by large corridors of ideal habitat and a network of waterways.
The pens, stocked with food and water, allow the voles to become
acclimatised
to their surroundings whilst they establish burrows and eventually dig
their way
to their new home.
Bristol Zoo Gardens said it could not have managed this
reintroduction
programme without the partnership with the Environment Agency or the
support of
the Hawk and Owl Trust and Landmark Environmental Consultancy.
The Environment Agency brings expertise from years of overseeing
water vole
conservation.
Volunteers from the Hawk and Owl Trust, a charity supported by
Bristol Zoo
Gardens, will be involved in monitoring the site throughout the
project.
Dr Jo Gipps, director of Bristol Zoo Gardens, said: It is vital
that action
is taken now to halt the decline in water vole numbers across the UK.
For the past four years, Bristol Zoo Gardens has been breeding
water voles
successfully for reintroduction initiatives, helping to re-establish
water vole
communities on the Kennet and Avon Canal, near Bath.
However, this is only the first step in a long and careful process
of
educating people about the threats to water voles and the importance
of
reintroducing new breeding gene pools to ensure a long and healthy
future.
Environment Agency biodiversity officer Melissa Clarkson said: The
Environment Agency is the lead partner in the UK Biodiversity Action
Plan for
the Water Vole and this project is particularly important because there
are no
known populations in north Somerset.
We hope it will be as successful as those we have been involved
with
elsewhere.
The water vole currently has partial protection under the 1981
Wildlife and
Countryside Act.
However, a recent recommendation has been submitted to the
Government by the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee to increase the legal protection of
the
water vole and its habitat.
end
230246 APR 03
HSA0260 4 HHH 590 PA
1 ENVIRONMENT Voles
NEW BID TO BOOST WATER VOLE NUMBERS
By Amanda Brown, Environment Correspondent, PA News
A bid to protect one of Britain's most endangered native animal
species from
regional extinction gets under way today.
Bristol Zoo Gardens will be establishing a new colony of 70 water
voles in a
secret location near the city.
Famed as Ratty in Kenneth Grahame's novel The Wind In The Willows,
water voles
have suffered a catastrophic decline in numbers over recent years, due
to
habitat loss caused by riverside developments, pollution and the
introduction of
the American mink.
Mistaken identity with brown rats has also led to cases of
poisoning.
Recent figures show the enormous impact of these environmental
changes on
these creatures.
In just seven years from 1989 to 1996, numbers fell by 90% from more
than
seven million to fewer than 900,000 individuals.
This includes a 97% population decline in the South West of
England.
The animals being released this spring are captive bred from
populations held
by Bristol Zoo Gardens and Wildwood, Kent.
Prior to release, each water vole has been health-checked by the
zoo's
veterinary department to ensure they do not carry diseases and they
have the
best chance of survival.
Of the 70 water voles being released, 15 will be fitted with a
specially
designed radio collar which does not interfere with the animal's life,
but is
vital in allowing Bristol Zoo Gardens to monitor dispersal.
All the water voles have also been ID chipped, allowing individuals
to be
identified for ongoing studies into the effectiveness of the release.
Reintroduction will be conducted via holding pens planted into the
ground at a
secure and suitable location currently uninhabited by water voles,
characterised
by large corridors of ideal habitat and a network of waterways.
The pens, stocked with food and water, allow the voles to become
acclimatised
to their surroundings whilst they establish burrows and eventually dig
their way
to their new home.
Bristol Zoo Gardens said it could not have managed this
reintroduction
programme without the partnership with the Environment Agency or the
support of
the Hawk and Owl Trust and Landmark Environmental Consultancy.
The Environment Agency brings expertise from years of overseeing
water vole
conservation.
Volunteers from the Hawk and Owl Trust, a charity supported by
Bristol Zoo
Gardens, will be involved in monitoring the site throughout the
project.
Dr Jo Gipps, director of Bristol Zoo Gardens, said: It is vital
that action
is taken now to halt the decline in water vole numbers across the UK.
For the past four years, Bristol Zoo Gardens has been breeding
water voles
successfully for reintroduction initiatives, helping to re-establish
water vole
communities on the Kennet and Avon Canal, near Bath.
However, this is only the first step in a long and careful process
of
educating people about the threats to water voles and the importance
of
reintroducing new breeding gene pools to ensure a long and healthy
future.
Environment Agency biodiversity officer Melissa Clarkson said: The
Environment Agency is the lead partner in the UK Biodiversity Action
Plan for
the Water Vole and this project is particularly important because there
are no
known populations in north Somerset.
We hope it will be as successful as those we have been involved
with
elsewhere.
The water vole currently has partial protection under the 1981
Wildlife and
Countryside Act.
However, a recent recommendation has been submitted to the
Government by the
Joint Nature Conservation Committee to increase the legal protection of
the
water vole and its habitat.
end
230246 APR 03
