LOOK OUT FOR MAMMALS

From the 3rd of April 2006, Mammals Trust UK (MTUK) is asking for volunteers to be on the lookout for mammals and signs of mammals in their back gardens and local green spaces. Results from a recent survey showed that over three quarters of sites were being used by mammals that were defined as Species of Conservation Concern by the UK Government. These species included hedgehogs, bats, brown hares, shrews, red squirrels, otters and water voles. MTUK Chief Executive, Jill Nelson, commented “These results suggest that our urban spaces are of great importance to our native mammals. We hope that more members of the public will take part in the survey in 2006 and that the presence of these exciting species on our doorstep will inspire them to get involved”.

The survey asks for volunteers to record signs and sightings of mammals in a green space within two hundred metres of a building. All participants in the survey will receive a complete colour guide with information of how to spot mammals and their signs, which has proved very popular.

The top five signs of mammals are:

1     Bark stripped from tree trunks and branches by grey squirrels

2     Fox dens or homes – foxes live in scrapes under sheds or in holes in undergrowth

3     Badger hairs – badgers regularly shed coarse hairs, about the length of your finger, which can snag on wire fences.

4     Stores of nuts hidden in nooks and crannies in your garden – caches of food left by mice, squirrels and other small rodents for when food is scarce.

5     Tops of young plants missing, as they have been nibbled away by rabbits.

Anyone interested in taking part in the Living with Mammals 2006 Survey should contact MTUK either by:~
email to enquiries@mtuk.org,
phone (020 7498 5262) or
post (Mammals Trust UK, 15 Cloisters House, 8 Battersea Park Road, London, SW8 4BG).

Mammals Trust UK