Threatened voles thrive in Trossachs
More than 1000 animals reintroduced in the area
A Trossachs water vole reintroduction programme has seen the endangered animals return to former haunts and thrive.
The rodents had become extinct in the area in the 1990s through loss of habitat, watercourse pollution and the spread of the non-native American mink.
But there has been a resurgence thanks to the Trossachs Water Vole conservation project, which started after a chance conversation between a Forestry Enterprise Scotland employee and a wildlife vet.
The reintroduction programme coincided with an FES drive to improve existing wetlands and waterways in Loch Ard Forest.
Director of the Forth Rivers Trust Alison Baker commented: “It is known that water voles existed on a number of rivers throughout the Forth district but due to a decline of habitat and the impact of American mink this has meant the population has declined.
“It is important to continue to protect and restore habitat for water voles and keep up the fight against the invasive nonnative predator, American mink as it could result in the population declining again and potentially being wiped out.”
Project officer Stephen Willis explained that a water vole colony on the edge of Glasgow had been threatened by industrial development and the decision was made to catch the animals and transfer them to the Trossachs.
It included a period of captive breeding in Devon carried out by the Derek Gow Consultancy and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.
This was followed by the release in 2008, 2009 and 2010 of over 1000 water voles at sites across the area.
Mink control in advance of the re-introduction helped the water voles establish themselves and now they are thriving at all the release sites and well beyond. As the water vole population has expanded so too has the effort to control mink.
Stephen added: “Today water voles can be found from upland settings high above Loch Lomond to the lowlands of the River Forth, almost within sight of Stirling Castle.
“We know the current range thanks to the efforts of a team of trained and experienced volunteers from Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, which carries out surveys from May to September.
“Our project, which is ongoing, has been so successful that water voles from the Trossachs have even been trapped and translocated to Northumberland to help boost the numbers being reintroduced in Kielder as part of the ‘Restoring Ratty’ project. That is a resounding accolade for our project.”