Our long-awaited release week begins on Monday 29th August 2022

Click here for the PDF version of this press release.

Get InVOLEd, a project run by Citizen Zoo in collaboration with members of the local community was launched in 2019 and aims to return the native water vole back to the Hogsmill River in Kingston. This will be the first time a community-led project has released water voles into an urban river.

Background

Water voles have the unfortunate title of the UK's fastest declining mammal. The last official record of water voles in Kingston was in 2017, and they are now extinct throughout the Hogsmill catchment. Water voles play an important ecological role, and bring immense joy to people who encounter these fantastic animals perched on the banks of our rivers. 

Over 350 volunteers have helped make this project happen.

The project began with Citizen Zoo training a team of 60 volunteers to survey the Hogsmill to identify viable habitat for water voles. From here, we set up separate teams to focus on habitat restoration, invasive species monitoring, fundraising, as well as community & dog walker engagement. Through coordinated activities with over 350 members of the community, we have delivered over 25 restoration days to improve the habitat further, carried out a successful crowdfunder to purchase the voles themselves and run weekly surveys to monitor the river for signs of invasive American mink. All this has helped us to achieve this ambitious goal of returning water voles back to the Hogsmill once again.

With the highly anticipated release week around the corner, final preparations have begun ahead of the 100 water voles returning to the Hogsmill on Monday 29th August. However, the work doesn't stop here. Various methods of monitoring will be undertaken following their release. This includes continued surveying for American mink, as well as population monitoring using traditional techniques such as latrine rafts (looking for faeces), as well as high-tech camera traps and bioacoustics sensors. All of this post-release monitoring is being made possible through the Mayor of London's Rewild London Fund. 

If you would like to join us for the release day on Monday 29th August, please email us on [email protected]. Please note we have limited places available. 

This project would not have been possible without the support of the following organisations and partnerships: 

Mayor of London, The Royal Borough of Kingston, Thames Water, South East Rivers Trust, Kingston University, the Environment Agency,  Derek Gow Consultancy and the Hogsmill Catchment Partnership.

Quotes:

Ben Stockwell, Urban Rewilding Officer:

"This project is five years in the making since water voles went locally extinct on the Hogsmill. To date, over 350 local volunteers have taken part in the project, from surveying the river for viable habitat and fundraising for the voles themselves, to taking part in river restoration and community engagement days. It's been a colossal effort and something we couldn't have achieved without our passionate volunteers. We can't wait to see these charismatic animals back on the river where they belong."

Derek Gow, Founder of Derek Gow Consultancy:

“Water voles are the fastest declining mammal in the UK, with only an estimated 77,000 thought to be left in the wild. I have been aware of the plight of the water voles on the Hogsmill river for many years, and am thrilled to be playing an active part in supporting Citizen Zoo with this water vole reintroduction. This project demonstrates the power of community led projects, showing how local people can help to reverse local species extinctions and enable water voles to recolonise and thrive in their former range.”

Shirley Rodrigues, Deputy Mayor for Environment and Energy:

“It’s fantastic to see water voles returning to the Hogsmill river in Kingston. The Mayor’s Rewild London Fund grant will help monitor the progress of their reintroduction with camera traps and state-of-the-art bioacoustics recording devices, as well as supporting more habitat restoration sessions with volunteers.

 This is one of 19 rewilding projects the Mayor is funding this year to improve biodiversity in the capital and ensure all Londoners have a thriving web of nature on their doorstep. The Mayor’s Rewilding Taskforce is also looking for more opportunities for rewilding projects, and I look forward to seeing more exciting projects like this one across the city.”

Contacts

Ben Stockwell, Urban Rewilding Officer, Citizen Zoo, [email protected] 

Citizen Zoo in the media

The Evening Standard article on water vole reintroduction: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/white-storks-water-voles-return-tolworth-court-farm-kingston-b943216.html

The Guardian article on Sadiq Khan’s Rewilding Taskforce (of which Citizen Zoo are members): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/14/sadiq-khan-rewild-hyde-park-green-species-london

Extra Information

Instagram handle: @citizenzoo

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/company/citizen-zoo/ 

Organisation website: https://www.citizenzoo.org/

Project webpage: https://www.citizenzoo.org/our-work/water-voles