ITV NEWS reports for most people seeing dolphins is a rare wonder but, for trawlerman Peter Green from St Mawes in Cornwall, it is an almost everyday occurrence – yet he still finds it magical.
Tag Archives: mammals
Living with beavers: How the wild creature finally returned to British rivers after 400 years
The Independent reports after 400 years beavers could return to populate England’s rivers, land managers talk to Holly Bancroft about the government’s new consultation and the ups and downs of living alongside the animals.
Rewilding: should we bring the lynx back to Britain?
The Guardian reports reintroducing the big cats could control deer numbers and enrich ecosystems but farmers and the public need reassurance, say experts.
Tusk master: Wally the walrus departs Isles of Scilly and heads north
The Guardian reports after spending the summer wowing British holidaymakers – and sometimes making a nuisance of himself by accidentally sinking boats – Wally the walrus appears to be trying to head home. The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) said on Tuesday that Wally had departed the Isles of Scilly, where he had been in residence since June, and there has been a positive sighting of him in the waters off Ireland. Marine experts hope that the creature is on his way back to the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard between mainland Norway and the North Pole.
Endangered British hedgehogs need greater legal protection to stop the public taking them from back gardens and selling them as pets online, MP warns
The Daily Mail reports British hedgehogs need legal protection from being plucked from back gardens and being sold for hundreds of pounds, the government has heard this week. MPs have argued in parliament that the British hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) is facing an increasing problem of being traded as pets.
The species is known as one of the UK’s best loved mammals and a ‘gardener’s friend’, but the creatures have seen a whopping 97 per cent decline since 1950.
Thousandth dormouse brought back to the wild
BBC News reports the 1,000th captive-bred hazel dormouse has been released into the wild in a UK-wide reintroduction scheme for these threatened mammals.
Raccoon dogs may be Britain’s next non-native pest, study finds
The Guardian reports they are cute and furry, and could become the UK’s next major non-native pest. Raccoon dogs, an exotic member of the fox family that is native to Japan, China and Siberia, are one of the most destructive invasive species at risk of becoming established in Britain, experts say.
A “horizon scanning” study funded by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs identified the raccoon dog and the raccoon as the only mammals on a list of 20 invasive species likely to reach UK shores and destroy native wildlife or bring disease.
Half of our badgers could be killed before 2026 if Government does not stop wiping them out before culling programme officially ends, campaigners warn
The Daily Mail reports more than half of England’s badgers will be killed if the Government does not stop culling before the programme’s official end in 2026, campaign groups warned last night.
The Government confirmed yesterday that it will not issue new licences for culling badgers to tackle tuberculosis in cattle after 2022. Culling will eventually cease entirely when licences expire in 2026.
Since the controversial badger cull started in 2013, to control bovine tuberculosis, more than 140,000 badgers have been shot.
Beavers reintroduced to Dorset after 400-year absence
The BBC reports a pair of beavers have been reintroduced to Dorset as part of a nationwide trial.
The Dorset Wildlife Trust is monitoring a male and a female beaver in the west of the county. They are being observed by wildlife experts in a large freshwater habitat, with footage captured on night cameras. The species went extinct in the UK 400 years ago, during the 16th Century.
Defra responds to petition for tough action on hare coursers
Farmers Weekly reports the UK government has issued an official response to an online petition calling for tougher penalties for hare coursers.
The petition, created by gamekeeper Edward Coles, received more than 12,700 signatures, thus sparking a response from Defra. However, it would need to attract more than 100,000 signatures to trigger a parliamentary debate.