At the end of July, a report by the Mammal Society declared that 11 of the 47 native mammal species to the UK are now threatened with regional extinction.
The first Red List for British Mammals produced by the Mammal Society has been authorised by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), meaning that threatened British species have been identified using the same robust, internationally agreed system that is applied to classify threats to species like elephants and tigers.
Of relevance to the animals held at Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, Red Squirrels are listed as Endangered, Hedgehogs are now Vulnerable and Harvest Mice are Near Threatened.
Red Squirrels have disappeared from over 60% of their former range in England and Wales.
Red Squirrels have been lost from over 60% of their range in England and Wales in the last 13 years and historically were found in woodlands and forest nationwide. The main cause of this is transmission of disease and competition by the non-native Grey Squirrel. While there has been some success in localised reintroduction/ reinforcement programmes (particularly on islands such as Anglesey in North Wales), they are still missing from most of their former UK range. Although Red Squirrels can survive in Pine forests (such as those in the Highlands of Scotland, one of their strongholds) they should naturally occur in a range of woodland types, which have also been threatened by destruction for agricultural, engineering and urbanisation projects.
For the first time, Hedgehogs have been classed as Vulnerable
Hedgehogs were once a common sight and sound in the evenings, but due to increased traffic on roads and loss of suitable habitat such as hedges, they have declined by almost 50% in the past 13 years. The increased paving and creation of solid barriers in urban gardens has resulted in a loss of connectivity, meaning that hedgehogs must spend time out in the open, where they are at greater risk of predation (from badgers and dogs) and road traffic collisions. The loss of natural grass lawns and hedges has also led to a decline in their main food of invertebrates, and the increased use of pesticides and poisons to kill pest species such as slugs and snails has had deadly consequences for our prickly pals.
If you would like more information on how to help Hedgehogs, including advice on making your garden Hedgehog friendly, please check out our pages here:
https://www.owl-help.org.uk/hedgehog-care
The rarely seen Harvest Mouse is difficult to monitor, but vital to the survival of many predatory species.
Harvest Mice rely on rough grasses and scrub, where they build their tennis ball sized nests out of grass and spend most of their lives off the ground. Changes to farming practices has seen a massive decline in grassland habitat in the UK, which not only affects the small animals that live in these areas, but also the predatory animals that eat them to survive, such as Barn Owls. There have been many localised attempts to reintroduce Harvest Mice across the UK, with mixed results, as most small mammals have a high winter mortality rate, especially when we have extreme weather conditions. They can also be very difficult to monitor, as this recent article explains: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/dec/13/harvest-mice-found-thriving-15-years-after-reintroduction-efforts
You can read more about the report here: https://www.mammal.org.uk/2020/07/one-quarter-of-native-mammals-now-at-risk-of-extinction-in-britain/
Over the coming months, we will be creating a series of How To Help guides for a variety of native UK wildlife groups, including ways you can join in with monitoring and surveys nationwide.
With thanks to:
www.wildwoodtrust.org
www.welshmountainzoo.org
www.chesterzoo.org
Peter Cooper from Derek Gow Consultancy
Craig Shuttleworth from Red Squirrels Trust Wales