Otters return to Whitnash Brook
PRESS RELEASE
4th December 2009...For Immediate Release
OTTERS RETURN TO WHITNASH
BROOK
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust's
Biodiversity Officer, Caroline Bailey, has found otter spraint
[droppings] at Whitnash Brook Local Nature Reserve near Leamington
Spa, indicating that this most charismatic of English mammals is in
residence in this part of the county. This exciting development
comes as a result of the work that has been put in by Warwickshire
Wildlife Trust and partners to try to ensure that, not only on
their reserves, but on waterways throughout the county, conditions
have been established that will further encourage the return of
otters to Warwickshire.
Whitnash Brook is owned by Warwick District Council and managed in
partnership with Warwickshire Wildlife Trust. It is a wildlife
corridor consisting of damp rough grassland, pools, hedgerows and
woodland, with the shaded stream supporting mature alder and willow
- in fact, a perfect habitat for otters. The otter success story
has spread beyond this one location and otters are coming back to
many of the rivers across Warwickshire. Whitnash Brook is linked to
the Leam Valley Local Nature Reserve. The Wildlife Trust's Living
Landscapes team not only takes responsibility for the management of
over fifty Trust Reserves, but also seeks to work with landowners,
agencies and the local community to create and enhance habitats in
the wider countryside, between existing wildlife havens.
The most famous otter of all was,
arguably, Tarka, who lived in North Devon just after the First
World War and whose busy life was immortalised by Henry Williamson
in his book, 'Tarka the Otter'. However, Tarka's river, the
Torridge, and hundreds like it all over the country were
systematically poisoned by organochlorines used in the intensive
farming practices adopted immediately after World War 2. The
destruction of their habitat, combined with hunting, led to a
catastrophic decline in numbers into the late 1970s.
Otters received full legal protection in 1978 when hunting was
banned, and by the early 1980s the critical state of the otter
population was recognised as being a clear indicator of the deeply
unhealthy state of the nation's rivers. Today, thirty years later,
although still an endangered species, otters have now been recorded
in every county in England - a result directly linked to the
intensive efforts to clean up the rivers and to restore otter
habitats. Their revival may also help to control numbers of the
unwelcome non-native American Mink, which is causing havoc on our
watercourses and has been a huge factor in the devastating decline
of our native water vole.
Tim Haselden, Wetlands Living Landscape Officer says, "Otters are
fabulous animals and it is wonderful to see them back on our
waterways. It essential that our native otter population is never
threatened again, and we need to make sure that we don't rest on
our laurels. Please help us to build on what we are already doing
by looking out for otters and joining in with our Otter Surveys and
Holt Construction work parties".
If you would like to get involved or if you have seen evidence of
either mink or otter in your area, then Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
would love to hear from you. Please give them a call on 024 7630
2912 or email enquiries@wkwt.org.uk.
ENDS
Press contact: Trust Office on 024 7630 2912.
Notes to Editor
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is the leading local charity for
wildlife and the environment. The Trust currently cares for
over 55 nature reserves throughout Warwickshire, Coventry and
Solihull, and has a wide range of conservation activities taking
place throughout the year. For further details or to get a
copy of our leaflet "Wild Events and Activities" please contact the
Trust on 024 7630 8999, drop into the Trust's Visitor Centres at
Brandon Marsh Nature Centre and Parkridge Centre in Brueton Park,
Solihull, pick up a leaflet in your local library or visit our
website on www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk