Warwickshire Otter killed in road
Wildlife enthusiasts around Warwickshire,
Coventry and Solihull will be saddened to learn of an otter
fatality on Thursday 9 February on the A429 Foss Way near
Stretton-on-Fosse. The otter is one of our rarest and most
beautiful mammals and it would seem that this unfortunate animal
has been run over by a passing vehicle.
There is only an estimated 20 or so otters
in the whole of Warwickshire so the loss of this animal is a
significant blow to the local population. In the 1950s and
1960s, the UK otter population crashed as a result of poisoning
from organochlorine pesticide use. Since these damaging
chemicals were banned, the population has slowly recovered over the
last few decades. They have now successfully returned to
every county in England. However, despite being widespread,
their numbers remain low and they remain a priority species for
conservation.
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is calling for
drivers to take extra care whilst driving on the county's roads to
reduce the risk of otter road casualties.
Stephen Trotter, Chief Executive of
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said:
"It's a great shame that so much
wildlife is killed on our roads each year. This was a large
male otter - probably about three years of age and in prime
condition. Otters range over substantial areas and the loss
of even one adult can have a major impact on the population.
Nevertheless, otters have been doing well in recent years so
hopefully the population can recover quickly. This is the
fifth otter killed on Warwickshire roads in the last couple of
years which, ironically, may be a sign that the population is doing
well in general. Nevertheless, it underlines the message that
on dark winter nights, motorists need to take extra care to look
out for wild animals on the highway. There are thousands of
animals killed each year on our roads including badgers, hedgehogs,
deer and birds - it would be great if we could reduce the
carnage."
-ENDS-
Contact information:
Stephen Trotter, Chief Executive
Phone: 024 7630 8994
Email stephen.trotter@wkwt.org.uk
Notes for editors:
- Warwickshire Wildlife Trust is the
leading local voluntary charity which works for people and
wildlife in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. The
Trust looks after 56 reserves, we are supported by more than 23,000
members and 500 volunteers. We promote a better natural
environment for local wildlife and local people as part of our aim
to create a living landscape in the West Midlands. We have 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 us on 024 7630 2912,
drop into the Trust's Visitor Centres at Brandon Marsh Nature
Centre and Parkridge Centre in Brueton Park, Solihull, or visit our
website for more information www.warwickshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk.
- The Wildlife Trusts
(TWT) wildlifetrusts.org There
are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the
UK. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for
everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000
members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch.
Our vision is to create A Living
Landscape and secure Living
Seas. We manage 2,256 nature reserves covering more than
90,000 hectares and every year we advise thousands of landowners
and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also
run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital
data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine
wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and
our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of
visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local
communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their
own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.