A North East wildlife charity has launched an animal adoption scheme with the aim of protecting the region's wildlife.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust, which owns and manages more than 60 nature reserves in Newcastle, Northumberland and North Tyneside, has launched its Adopt an Animal scheme with the aim of protecting owls and hedgehogs. The UK's owls are declining at an 'alarming' rate, with numbers falling dramatically since 2000.
Since 2015, tawny owls have been added to the Amber List on the BTO Birds of Conservation Concern report after breeding and winter population have declined due to loss of woodland habitat and suitable trees for nesting. Likewise, the UK hedgehog population is on the decline, with numbers dropping by up to 30% in urban areas and 50% in rural areas also since 2000.
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Loss of nesting and foraging habitat through urban development and rural hedgerow removal are causing hedgehogs to struggle to find somewhere to breed, hibernate and source enough food to survive. Furthermore, 335,000 hedgehogs are estimated to die on British roads each year, with thousands more taken to rescue centres with garden injuries and dog bites.
Adopting a hedgehog or owl comes at a cost of £20, with the money raised supporting conservation work such as managing nature reserve, creating new habitats, and delivering educational activities aimed at helping more people understand how to protect endangered animals.
Duncan Hutt, director of conservation at Northumberland Wildlife Trust, said: "Although we have hedgehogs and the full range of local owl species across the wide range of our reserves, it is something we would never take for granted. Our work is relentless and any help the public gives us is very much appreciated which is why the Adopt an Animal scheme is so important to us.
"Not only will the scheme provide much needed funding, the hedgehog or owl adoption pack will give us the opportunity to tell people more about the animal they are adopting - where to see and hear them, what they eat and what they can do to help conserve them."
The charity has owls on several of its reserves, including long eared owls at West Chevington, little owls at Druridge Pools, and barn owls at Big Water and Northumberlandia, among others. Two tawny owls have bred for the third year running at the Hauxley Nature Reserve, after taking up residence in a nest box in 2021 for the first time ever.
This year's tawny owl coupling has produced three chicks who have spent the last three weeks learning to fly above the playground there. Alex Lister, Northumberland Wildlife Trust's landscape manager said: "It's great that the tawny owls have bred again and proof that the maturing woodlands at Hauxley are providing valuable habitat.
"Meanwhile, the reserve's new and flourishing Hazel Wood and surrounding fields, which were planted six years ago, are a great place to look for barn owls and other birds. To find out more about adopting an animal through Northumberland Wildlife Trust, visit the charity's website.
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