New research published today by Oxford University’s Wildcru, in collaboration with Natural England, Mammal Society and PTES reveals that water voles remain at risk from developers. The water vole, immortalised as ‘Ratty’ in Kenneth Grahams’ Wind in the Willows was formerly a common sight on waterways throughout mainland Britain. However, catastrophic declines due to predation…
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Can the hedgehog call the hedgerow home anymore?
The hedgehog is rapidly disappearing from Britain. Today the Mammal Society is calling on the public to help find out why. Hedgehogs are thought to have declined by around a third over the past 10 years, and the reasons for the decline remain largely unknown. To help solve the mystery the charity wants members of…
The Mammal Photographer of the Year 2018 – Winners Announced!
The Mammal Society’s Mammal photographer of the Year 2018 competition winners have been announced this week. Led by Mammal Society council member and editor of Mammal News, Hilary Conlan, the panel of three judges selected the winners from a huge number of entries from some of the UK’s most talented amateur wildlife photographers. This year…
The impact of invasive mammals in Britain
There are around 200 known invasive non-native plant and animal species in Britain and this number is increasing. A number of these are invasive mammals – and they can have a devastating impact on our native wildlife. What are invasive species? Mammal Society Vice-Chair Kate Hills, explains “Invasive Non-Native Species are plants and animals which…
Tracking the changing fortunes of the weasel family in Britain
Professor Robbie McDonald to deliver prestigious Cranbrook Lecture The Mammal Society has announced that this year’s Cranbrook Lecture will be delivered by Professor Robbie McDonald, Chair in Natural Environment at the Environment and Sustainability Institute at the University of Exeter. The title of this year’s lecture will be “Big Changes for Small Carnivores – a…
Making sense of clicks and squeaks: Mammal Society launches Ecobat
Bats make high pitched calls inaudible to the human ear. These secret sounds can be recorded using specialised equipment, and the approach is frequently used to help determine whether bats are likely to be adversely affected by proposed developments such as new housing or roads. However, there are currently no standardised techniques interpreting these data….
“The raccoon dog, definitely not for Christmas” says the Mammal Society
The raccoon dog is a little-known character on Britain’s growing list of non-native invasive species. Currently it is legal to purchase and import this non-native relative of the fox in to the UK, and there appears to be a fashion to buy and keep this animal as a novel pet Unsuspecting owners subsequently find them…
2017 Hedgehog Watch Project now open
During last year’s Mammal Week we launched the Hedgehog Watch Project asking our supporters to let us know when they had last seen a hedgehog. We had almost 4,000 responses altogether, helping us to map sightings across the UK! The responses continue to contribute to ongoing research but key findings are as follows: 87% of people that reported…
Mammal Photographer of the Year 2018
Could you be our next Mammal Photographer of the Year? Earlier this year, Alastair Marsh wowed our judges with this beautiful photo of one of our most love arboreal mammals, the pine marten. Mammals are some of our most difficult creatures to photograph in the UK. Entrants to our photo competition prove every year that they…
National Mammal Week is here!
National Mammal Week is organised by the Mammal Society as a celebration and awareness week of mammals and their conservation in the UK. This year’s dates are the 21st-29th October. So what happens during National Mammal Week? You can check out our diary for mammal themed events to attend around the country, take part in our 2017 Hedgehog…