"A quarter of mammals in the UK face extinction"
These are the words that have driven me to act now. I’m Andrew and I’m a naturalist and wildlife artist. Over the lockdown I have experienced a re-connection with nature without the distractions of the bustling digital world. I feel that other people have felt this too. However, the recent news that a quarter of our native mammals are at risk of extinction greatly saddened me but unfortunately did not surprise me.
Being 17, even I have witnessed the decline of mammals during my life. At a young age I remember hearing the quiet crunching sound that filled the garden from the five plus Hedgehogs we used to feed. I remember walking along a river bank hearing the comical sound of a water vole plop as it enters the water. The pure excitement I used to get from seeing this brown oval shaped creature swim across a river is something I will never forget. However, now, these experiences are few and far between and I know many people have yet to see these rare animals. This is something that we can change and must change!
The mammal species at risk of extinction in Britain are:
- Critically endangered: wildcat, greater mouse-eared bat.
- Endangered: beaver, red squirrel, water vole, grey long-eared bat.
- Vulnerable: hedgehog, hazel dormouse, Orkney vole, Serotine bat, Barbastelle bat.
- Near threatened: mountain hare, harvest mouse, lesser white-toothed shrew, Leisler's bat, Nathusius' pipistrelle.
During August I want to raise money for the Mammal Society. It is a charity I firmly believe in which carries science lead mammal conservation and is at the forefront of the effort to conserve our native species. To do this, I’m going walk 50 miles during August, whilst picking up as much litter as I can carry to clean up our countryside and try to raise £500 for the Society in the process.
It is known that litter can harm mammals, either through ingesting it or becoming trapped in it. They can suffer deep wounds, choke, become trapped in cans – the list goes on… The full effect is not known but it can only be negative. I feel ashamed of the state of our countryside with the majority of our roadside verges, footpaths and bridleways littered with plastic and waste.
I’m doing this because we have a chance to save these species. As an adult I do not want to walk into the countryside knowing that many of the mammals we have now are extinct. I want to be able to get excited about what I might see or hear like the quick scurry of a Red Squirrel or the plop of a Water Vole. By doing this I hope to inspire others to doing anything they can to conserve our native mammals and indeed the rest of the wonderful animals we share our planet with.
If you share my passion please donate whatever you can https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AndrewEdginton2 and use the free time we have during to the Coronavirus Crisis to do a #lockdownlitterpickup in your area!
Thank you for reading,
Andrew Edginton
