This 1 & 1/2 day course, led by Merryl Gelling, is aimed at professionals and assumes some prior experience of water vole ecology. It will also cover field-signs of water voles and other easily-confused species and will reference scientific research on the impacts of different habitat availability and health and welfare considerations and how they feed into mitigation practice today.

On Day One we will cover legislation, different types of mitigation and when each is suitable by working through a series of case studies and discussing potential solutions to each. This will include the implications of live-capture, transportation and maintaining water voles in captivity as well as considerations for effective re-establishment of water voles. We will then undertake a site visit to identify field signs and learn how to set traps. The following day we will check and collect traps, processing any captured voles as we go. Assuming we capture water voles, participants will gain an understanding of practical animal welfare considerations and how to handle water voles safely.

This is a 2 day course with registration at 9:15 for a 9:30 start finishing around 5pm. The second day will start at 8am and finish late morning, depending on capture rate and questions.

This course will be run by Dr Merryl Gelling – Merryl is the Director of Spires Ecology, and sits on the Mammal Society Council. She has studied and worked with water vole for fifteen years and has recently completed research into the efficacy of displacement on water voles.

A CPD certificate will be sent after the course.

Accommodation and food are NOT provided.

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