Pringles tubes help water voles' comeback

Recycled Pringles tubes were used to help transport water voles to their new home at Nene Wetlands Nature Reserve

More than 100 water voles have been released into a nature reserve as part of "ambitious plans" to restore the species.

Recycled Pringles tubes were used to safely transport the creatures to the Nene Wetlands in Northamptonshire.

Some 116 water voles, bred in captivity, were released at the nature reserve, near Rushden, by the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants.

Conservation manager Matt Johnson said it was "really exciting" to see them "making their way back into the wild" after populations were "decimated".

The Wildlife Trust set up special pens to acclimatise the voles to the wild

The numbers of water voles have plummeted as a result of habitat loss and invasive mink.

The trust said water voles in Northamptonshire had become restricted to "a few isolated colonies" and there were none in the area around Nene Wetlands since the year 2000.

The release was funded and licensed by Natural England as part of its Species Recovery Programme.

It hoped this project would be the start of a "meta population of water voles" which could spread across the county.

How voles are freed

The voles were fed daily for a week before being released

The voles were brought onto the site in cages and then released into pens which were spaced out alongside water courses.

As well as specialist conservation equipment, the team also used recycled Pringles tubes as they were “the perfect size and shape to move the animals.”

The voles remained in their pens for a week and were fed daily, to help acclimatise.

Then the pens were opened, allowing them to leave and discover life in the wild.

"It’s fantastic to see water voles return to the Nene Wetlands – we hope that this is the start of their comeback in the county," said Mr Johnson.

"When we took on this reserve over ten years ago, water voles were one of the key species that we wanted to see back here so it's really exciting to see them coming out of their Pringles tubes and making their way back into the wild where they should be."

A vole checking out his surrounding outside the tube

He added that reintroductions "must be planned and managed properly to ensure there is a healthy habitat for the new arrivals".

Another larger rodent will be making its home in the Nene Wetlands later this autumn, as a family of beavers will be released at Delta Pit close to the Rushden Lakes shopping centre.