AN urgent appeal to save one of Britain's best loved animals from extinction has been launched by the Devon Wildlife Trust.
THE water vole — immortalised as 'Ratty' in the Wind in the Willows — is facing extinction, largely as a result of predation by mink.
The bright-eyed water vole, once a common sight along our rivers and streams, is now the fastest declining mammal in the country and could be extinct within three years.
The trust has launched a £25,000 appeal to rescue Ratty and halt the alarming decline of the creature.
'This is one of the most important conservation projects we have undertaken,' said DWT director Paul Gompertz.
The money will be used to carry out a detailed survey of the population, followed by a programme of riverbank restoration work to protect Ratty from predators and provide suitable breeding sites — they need wetlands with plenty of reeds and rushes on which they feed.
Mr Gompertz said it would also be necessary to look at the impact of the mink.
The project is being coordinated by DWT's rivers and wetlands officer Beth Nightingale. She will be working with the Environment Agency, landowners, anglers and local volunteers with the support of South West Water's Pennon Water Champions programme.
'We need to find the remaining water voles, protect these areas and extend the habitat so the water vole population can expand,' she said.
The trust is hoping to help Ratty in the same way it has helped Devon's otter population in recent years..
To report any existing or historical water vole haunts to the Devon Biodiversity Records Centre call 01392 279244 or e-mail [email protected]">[email protected]