Perivale Wood: Harvest mice reintroduced after 45 years

BBC
·2 min read
Mice release
Harvest mice became locally extinct in Ealing because of the destruction of their habitat [David Parry/PA Media Assignments]

More than 150 harvest mice have been reintroduced to a nature reserve in west London - 45 years after the species was last recorded there.

The animals became extinct in the borough of Ealing, with the last official sighting at Perivale Wood in 1979.

It is the fifth site the mice have been released as part of the Ealing Wildlife Group rewilding project.

It aims to create an improved ecosystem for plant and animal life.

Mice release
The last registered sighting of harvest mice in Ealing was in 1979 [PA Media]

It is thought their disappearance is because of the loss of their natural habitat, a pattern seen across the UK, with an overall decline of 70% in the native harvest mouse population.

At Perivale Wood, which includes ancient oak woodland and neutral grassland, parts of the meadows have been set aside to create wildlife corridors for small mammals.

The grass will remain un-grazed to provide nesting material and cover for harvest mice, and a new pond alongside an existing large one will create additional reed bed areas, which harvest mice favour.

Mice release
Volunteers bred the harvest mice in captivity before releasing them into the wild [David Parry/PA Media Assignments]

The mice were bred in captivity by volunteers.

Richard Goddard, from the Selborne Society which manages the wood, said the reintroduction of mice was "fantastic".

He added: "Selborne Society volunteers put in more than 2,000 hours of voluntary work to improve our habitats.

"This has been the perfect way to celebrate National Mammal Week".

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