Once a common sight along British waterways, conservationists have warned that water voles are in danger of disappearing.
The animal that some may remember as the Wind in the Willows character “Ratty” is the fastest declining mammal in the UK and numbers have declined by a fifth since 2011.
The Canal and River Trust have launched a campaign to help save the animals from extinction.
The Trust said that sightings of water voles have nearly halved over the last 15 years and the public have an important role to play in stopping the decline.
Ecologist for the Canal and River Trust, Imogen Wild said that the decline is incredibly sad.
It’s part of our ecosystem, it is part of our history and our culture and part of our enjoyment when we are walking along experiencing nature. If wildlife disappears it is just a travesty if we do nothing to stop it.
Imogen Wild, Ecologist for the Canal and River Trust.
“There are all sorts of factors that effect their decline, the most serous of those is extra development pressure pollution from different agriculture practices and also predation from particular things like the American mink.”
Imogen Wild, Ecologist for the Canal and River Trust.
The Canal and River Trust have designed an app to report water vole sightings as part of its annual Great Nature Watch Campaign.
The app will build a picture of how many of the animals are living in canals and rivers around Nottinghamshire, the trust hopes that better information on where the voles are living will mean that they can be better protected.
Video: Stephen Hardy, Communication Manager for the Canal and River Trust.
