Water Voles: One of Britain's Most Endangered Species

by KindMeal.my, 03 April 2015

Water Voles: One of Britain's Most Endangered Species

Leaping into the river, nibbling on grass and picking blackberries, these water voles may look like they haven’t a care in the world — but they are one of Britain’s most endangered mammals.

Increasingly displaced from their habitats by the development of the countryside, the number of water voles has dropped almost 90 per cent in the past 30 years to 500,000.

They grow to between three and seven inches in length and are often mistaken for mice, rats or moles. Perhaps not a lot of people realise that Ratty from The Wind In The Willows was really a water vole.

Wildlife photographer Terry Whittaker, 54, has been capturing the antics of the vole population shown here for more than nine years at a stream near Maidstone, Kent.

Often wearing waders — with his camera ready at water level — the photpgrapher has been known to wait for up to eight hours to get the perfect shot.

He says: ‘I’ll often spot one with a patch of fur missing or a chunk of its ear gone . . . they are very aggressive towards one another.’
But as these pictures show, they’re mostly just messing about on the river.

Let not such amazing friends of ours vanish from earth. All it takes is for us to treat our animal friends and environment well. A good start is to enjoy meat-free meals that directly contribute to such benefits – http://KindMeal.my

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