Wildlife and Conservation 6 Water Voles

Wildwood Kent Water Vole Update - Babies!

Further to my earlier article,

today I am writing an article, updating you about the water voles.

Photo author: Wildwood Trust Kent Water Vole Conservation area

All this he saw, for one moment breathless and intense, vivid on the morning sky; and still, as he looked, he lived; and still, as he lived, he wondered.

Mole, Chapter 7, The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame

Wildwood Trust Kent is a beautiful, verdant place to work - outside in the fresh air, under the pale, dappled sunlight, shaded by ancient Kent woodland trees of oak, chestnut, birch, rowan, willow, hawthorn, holly and hornbeam. The ancient Blean Woods can be traced back to the 1600s, some parts, including an ancient droveway, go back a thousand years.

Video clip author: Under ancient woodland. Can you hear the falling acorns?

I am privileged to be working with nature, contributing, in a small way, to important conservation work protecting and promoting native animal species, in such an ancient, otherworldly place - shielded from the modern, urban 21st century local and global chaos and worry beyond.

I feel grounded here ……though my husband would say that I look as though I am literally on the ground - dishevelled and exhausted - as I put my key in the front door, taking off my muddy walking boots, after an 8 hour shift including wheeling and lifting wheelbarrows of straw bales and wood bark chipping.

I am attending four times weekly group classes at our excellent local physiotherapy practice - focussing on improving my core strength, flexibility, balance and muscle strength around my hips and lower limbs. This is in response to excruciating painful sciatica that I developed last November, which left me unable to work for four weeks. But I digress.

In September, acorns are literally raining down upon us, like extra large hailstones, with every gust of wind. With permission, I have dug up an oak seedling and potted it. My plan is to bring it with us when we move to France next year and later onwards to Ireland, where I will ultimately plant this ancient tree in the ground, in a suitable location.

Photo author

Today, I am sharing with you three short video clips of two water voles at Wildwood Trust Kent. This adorable male and female pair are one of 14 current pairs that have been chosen for the breeding programme. Water voles are at risk of extinction in Britain and they have legal protected status.

Video author: male water vole watching me watching him. I would recommend enlarging this video clip so you can see the water vole’s tiny paws -upturned - it actually looks like he’s asking me to give him food, similar to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist asking “Please, sir, I want some more.”

Image British Museum: Illustration by George Cruikshank in original publication of Oliver Twist

Video author: Here is the same male water vole eating his cabbage leaf

Matching water voles for breeding is more complex than you might think. First, the genetics software matches potential pairs. Then, each potential water vole needs to have a health check.

A health check for any wild animal is not without risk. The stress of being handled by a human (a predator) can cause capture myopathy and resultant cardiac arrest. So a health check is only undertaken when absolutely necessary; is kept as brief as possible and with minimal noise.

The health check involves measuring weight; assessing body condition score and checking whether the female is perforate or imperforate and for the male water vole - assessing whether both testes are descended.

Ideally, you would match two water voles of similar weights, with good body condition scores and where the female is perforate and the male has two descended testes. It would be inadvisable to match a very heavy male water vole with a light female because there would be a risk that she would get insufficient food.

Each water vole breeding pair typically produces 3 - 4 young - called pups. However, even with good husbandry, some water voles are susceptible to death due to low temperatures and high rainfall during the winter months. The plan is that the new population (approximately 50 we hope) will be eventually released into the wild, in a new location.

This pair in particular seem to enjoy each others company. The female water vole especially enjoys swimming in her water basin - it is a glorious sight - but I have yet to catch her swimming on film.

Video author: the female water vole is eager to swim in her pool, but she hesitates because of my presence

The next few weeks will be both exciting and nerve-racking, as we will check to see if there are any baby water voles (pups). Water voles have a gestation period of approximately three weeks and reach sexual maturity within 15 weeks. For this reason, it is important to separate males and females promptly following birth and weaning, to avoid any genetic inbreeding.

I am convinced that this female water vole is pregnant (female intuition). I can’t wait to find out.

Latest Update Tuesday 24/09/24 Water Vole Babies:

Further to last week’s article, today was a bitter - sweet experience at Wildwood Trust Kent Water Vole Conservation unit.

You may have correctly surmised that I was just a little bit smitten by the water vole couple in the H3 enclosure. The female’s glorious swimming over the past three or so weeks has completely enchanted me.

First thing this morning, whilst emptying the water vole swimming pools/basins- I sadly noticed a small, dead water vole pup at the tunnel entrance on the left hand side of the straw bale.

I immediately shared this with my line managers and the decision was taken to process H3 to check on the health and well-being of mum, dad and any surviving water vole babies.

We found a second dead baby water vole at the right hand side tunnel entrance to the straw bale. Our mood was low as we feared the worst.

When examined, it was clear that the two deaths had taken place in the last 24 hours. The body condition of these two water vole pups suggested that they had not received sufficient nourishment.

Joyfully, we found that mum and dad were safe and well and that there were four healthy, surviving baby water voles, approximately three weeks old, based on size.

Please do watch the short video clip. The babies are just so gorgeous. Isn’t the miracle of nature wonderful?

Video author Water Vole babies