• Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
We Are South Devon
Advertisement
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article
No Result
View All Result
We Are South Devon
No Result
View All Result

Devon conservation charity helping to save endangered crayfish

We Are South Devon by We Are South Devon
July 18, 2014
in Community Projects
Devon conservation charity helping to save endangered crayfish

[fblike style=”button_count” showfaces=”false” width=”450″ verb=”like” font=”arial”]

A Devon conservation charity has taken another step to help save a threatened native species.

The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, based at Paignton Zoo, has teamed up with the Environment Agency and Buglife to rear white-clawed crayfish.

The white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) is one of the largest freshwater invertebrates in the UK but is under threat of extinction in the wild because of the introduced North American signal crayfish, which out-competes its British counterpart for food and carries a killer plague.

WWCT UK Conservation Officer, Tracey Hamston, said:“Wecollected four females from the wild under licence in late May and early June. The female carries the eggs on her belly and underneath her tail. When they hatch she carries the babies around for a week or two before they disperse and fend for themselves. It looks like we have about 50 or 60 babies.”

At about 8 millimetres they are smaller than a fingernail. They are being cared for behind the scenes at the Zoo. Keeper Rod Keen: “The babies will be reared at Paignton Zoo for two years. The adult females will be returned to the river from where they came in the next few weeks.

There is a crayfish exhibit at Paignton Zoo as well as an off-show husbandry facility. Crayfish reintroductions are carried out by Buglife and the Environment Agency as part of the South West Crayfish Project.

Mary-Rose Lane, Biodiversity Technical Specialist for the Environment Agency, said: “This exciting and successful partnership is really giving us hope that we can save our native crayfish from extinction. We congratulate the committed team at the WWCT in adding a new dimension to this long-term conservation project, and encourage the public to visit the live exhibit at Paignton Zoo.”

Andrew Whitehouse, South West Manager at Buglife said: “What a fantastic result, we hope that the young crayfish will flourish and eventually we’ll be able to release them into the wild in Devon to establish at least one more ark site.”

The white clawed crayfish is protected by law and became recognised as Endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2010. It is a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan.

The species has an important role in the freshwater ecosystem because of what it eats and what in turn eats it. The species is also an important indicator of good water quality. Tracey: “The project fits well with our commitment to native species conservation in the South West.”

Keep up to date about what’s happening around South Devon,
join us on facebook.
[do_widget “Facebook like box (jetpack)”]

Previous Post

The Atomic Café Are Bringing Retro Back

Next Post

Fire crews called to car fire, Torquay

Related Posts

Community Projects

Top attraction needs your help

February 10, 2020
Community News

Young volunteers boosted by new funding

September 16, 2019
Salcombe ‘Live’ Music and Comedy Festival announced
Community Projects

Salcombe ‘Live’ Music and Comedy Festival announced

September 13, 2019
Community Projects

Racing Across Torbay!

August 30, 2019
Community Projects

Can you Help the over 50s Stay in Own Homes?

August 15, 2019
Community News

Grants for Community Groups Available!

July 11, 2019
Next Post
Fire crews called to car fire, Torquay

Fire crews called to car fire, Torquay

  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article

© 2023 We Are South Devon Brought to you by Griffiths Networking

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • All News
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Submit an article

© 2023 We Are South Devon Brought to you by Griffiths Networking