Why crayfish are getting their own Noah's 'ark'

The UK's crayfish are set to get their own 'Ark' - but it's not a real boat, rather a special site where they have more protection to help them live and breed in safety.

And they're not escaping from a flood, but from the threat of the much bigger American crayfish.

In fact, white-clawed crayfish are one of the UK's most endangered species, after many caught a deadly bug from the signal crayfish which originally come from the US.

The ark site is being created by the National Trust at the River Wansbeck in Northumberland, which is one of the native crayfish's best habitats.

So far, 100 of the crayfish have been taken to the ark - an adapted old cattle drinking hole!

The site is fed by a spring, with the water flowing over significant barriers before it reaches the Wansbeck.

This means the chances of American signal crayfish or plague entering are low.

National Trust rangers have spent 15 months preparing it, and used dry-stone walling techniques to create crevices that imitate the crayfish's natural habitat.

It's hoped this will now be a safe place for them to breed and re-establish their numbers.

Matthew Fitch, National Trust Ranger at Wallington, said: "This species is very much on a knife edge.

"It's so important we shore up the healthy populations, like the one we're fortunate to have here on the Wansbeck, as quickly as we can, to make sure it doesn't vanish from our rivers altogether."

It's hoped that the 'ark' site will not only help to protect the crayfish in this area but also contribute to the long-term protection of the animal across the UK, as these crayfish could in the future be used to repopulate other areas where crayfish would normally live.