Water Vole Reintroduction Project
Water voles were once common across the whole of the UK but declined due to habitat loss and predation by non-native American mink. In Cornwall, water voles became extinct, with the last confirmed sightings in Par, Godolphin and Bude in the 1990s.
Local conservation group Kernow Conservation started a Water Vole Reintroduction Project in 2022 with Paradise Park supporting the initiative with £500, and later another £500 which was matched by the Aviva Community Fund. The Park promoted the crowdfunder, and volunteered at locations, taking the voles in their release cages to the lake edges.
The ‘Spring 2024 Project Update’ reports that the voles had survived a second winter and increased their range along the River Kennall, ‘there is evidence of burrows in several locations both upstream and downstream and signs that water voles have been breeding away from the original reintroduction sites.’
The plan is to release several hundred animals in suitable habitat to restore populations, benefitting birds and mammals but also plant diversity. With support, Kernow Conservation’s work with water voles in Cornwall will develop so it can expand their activities to restore water voles to more areas, plus educate and inspire more people about their ecological importance. Visit their website for ways in which you can help.
We were lucky to be invited to help with the first release of 150 Water Voles at Trelusback Farm, southern Cornwall, with more at the same location in September 2022, then a third release at a nearby location in June 2024.
The water vole is the largest of the UK’s voles, weighing 200-350g as an adult, (which is up to 10 times larger than other vole species!) meaning they are a substantial food source for many predators, including barn owls, kestrels, herons, foxes, otters, stoats, weasels, and pike. In conjunction with their size, water voles have been recorded to have varied diets that can include over 200 plant species and are thus considered a keystone species, as their feeding and burrowing activities create habitats and opportunities for many other animals and plants to thrive.
All photos by Paradise Park Director Alison Hales from the first release.
