And finally .. great news for water voles
Ratty makes a welcome return to Cumbria’s riverbanks - Eden Rivers Trust
Once a common sight in our rivers, water voles have vanished from the Lake District. In a bid to re-establish this small, yet vital part of the ecosystem, environmental organisations and landowners have joined forces to create the habitat conditions needed to bring back this much-loved creature to Cumbria. This week, our hard work has been rewarded as the last of 365 water voles were released into their new homes.
Nationally, water voles are Britain’s fastest-declining mammal. Over the last century, they’ve gone from an estimated population of eight million to around 132,000. In that time, they have disappeared from 94% of sites where they once lived, including the Lake District.
This week, 204 water voles were released at Haweswater, taking place not long after 161 water voles were rehomed on the Lowther Estate.
It marked the end of the initial phase of the first re-introduction programme to take place in the National Park since they were virtually wiped out – mainly due to habitat loss, pollution and the devastation caused by the rapid spread of the water vole’s nemesis; invasive, non-native American mink. Defenceless against the mink, whole colonies were swiftly decimated.
These threats had to be addressed before any animals could be reintroduced.
We were awarded money from the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF), The Moorhouse Fund (Cumbria Community Foundation) and Ernest Cook Trust to work with landowners and volunteers to find suitable sites, make necessary improvements to habitats and take steps to control non-native predators ahead of this summer’s re-introduction.
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Posted On: 17/08/2023