Bits for Pets Blog

Scorpions, parakeets and turtles have all been found living wild in the UK, according to a new study.

The study, led by the University of Hull, studied sightings and population numbers for creatures introduced into Britain over the last 150 years.

It found 13,000 yellow-tailed scorpions and between 30,000 and 50,000 ring-necked parakeets in south-east England.

About 10 coatis, which are also known as Brazilian aardvarks, and about 20 snapping turtles were also found.
Breeding population

The coatis, which are members of the racoon family and hail from North America, are thought to be living wild in Cumbria.

The snapping turtles, also from North America, are believed to be living in parts of Kent, London, the West Midlands and West Yorkshire.

The scorpions originate from north-west Africa and southern Europe and the ring-necked parakeets come from Africa and Asia.

Report author Dr Toni Bunnell, of the University of Hull, said it was thought some of the animals had originally been kept as pets but were released when their owners could no longer look after them.

“If you get enough turfed out in the same area and they can survive and the habitat suits them, then you have got a breeding population. That seems to be what’s happening.”

She added that other species were thought to have escaped from private collections.

The report was commissioned by the Eden television channel.

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British experts have sounded a rallying cry in the battle to save the nation’s conker trees – and this time it’s not from health and safety officials.

Academics have warned that conkers – a favourite playground game in British schools – could soon be a fond memory due to an alien moth.

They are asking for the public’s help in keeping an eye on the country’s horse chesnut trees, which are gradually being destroyed by an alien moth.

The horse chestnut leaf miner is an ‘alien’ (non-native) moth which arrived in the UK in 2002.

Since then it has spread at a rate of up to 40 miles per year and now covers half of the country, including much of south-central England, East Anglia, the Midlands and most recently East Yorkshire and Cornwall.

The alien moth has caterpillars that live inside the leaves, forming distinctive patches of damage called ‘leaf mines’.

Up to 700 leaf mines have been recorded on a single leaf and the damage caused by large numbers of larvae can be striking. Severely damaged leaves shrivel and turn brown by mid summer and fall early, well before the autumn, giving the impression that the tree is dead.

Although the moths do not kill the trees directly it appears that they weaken the trees, which then produce smaller conkers and may become more susceptible to lethal diseases.

The spread and establishment of the horse chestnut leaf miner is of particular concern because, once established, the moth maintains exceptionally high rates of infestation without any evidence of decline.

No one knows exactly how far the miner infestation has spread so Dr Darren Evans from Hull University and Dr Michael Pocock from Bristol University are inviting the public to monitor the rate of spread of this ‘alien’ insect.

Dr Michael Pocock said: ‘The whitish blotches on horse chestnut leaves that appear during the early summer are an indication that the ‘alien’ moths have arrived in their area.

‘People can then log the location of the tree, either with or without the indication of alien moths, into our website.

‘The moth is spreading year-by-year and so this will give us the most up-to- date picture of the spread of this moth.’

Verified records will then be passed to Forest Research to add to its national database, which has been recording the spread of the moth since its arrival in 2002.

The second part of the experiment will start in July when the public will be asked to record whether nature’s pest controller has arrived.

Dr Darren Evans from the University of Hull added: “Nature’s form of defence against this alien invader is a tiny parasitic wasp which eats the moth caterpillars from the inside out – the wasps are the natural pest controllers.

‘We think there is a time lag between the moth infesting a tree and the wasps attacking the caterpillars. We need the public’s help to test whether this is the case especially in areas that have recently been invaded.

‘We want them to collect a single infected horse chestnut leaf and put it into the bag.
Within two weeks either moths or tiny parasitic wasps or possibly both should emerge.’

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A new research project in the Highlands has provided a rare insight into the secret world of one of Britain’s most endangered and elusive species.

Scottish wildcats are notoriously secretive, but conservationists are hoping to gain a more detailed understanding of their behaviour.

They have attached specialist camera equipment, known as photo-traps, to trees in the Cairngorms National Park.

The cameras have already provided images of wildcats and other animals.

Motion detectors and infra-red technology allow the devices to capture images of passing animals over a period of days, weeks or even months.

The project is still in its early stages but the cameras have already provided images of Scottish wildcat – popularly known as the Highland tiger – and other animals, including golden eagles.

‘Major threat’

The research is being led by Dr David Hetherington of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

He told BBC Scotland: “Wildcats are very shy, secretive animals. They are active mainly at night and it’s really difficult for people to get close enough to watch them properly.

“These camera traps are an excellent way of us getting a much better insight into where wildcats live, when they’re active, and what habitat they’re using.

“We can also get an idea of where they don’t live and, of course, that’s also really important information.”

Experts believe the Scottish wildcat population has fallen to about 400, and work is under way to prevent the species becoming extinct.

That involves encouraging cat owners in the Highlands to ensure their animals are neutered.

Dr Hetherington explained: “The major threat to wildcats these days is hybridisation, or inter-breeding, with domestic cats.

“Although they are quite different and have a completely different temperament, they are actually quite closely related genetically to domestic cats so they can produce fertile hybrids.

“If that continues we are going to lose our pure Scottish wildcat.”

Conservationists believe the work could help prevent another iconic species joining a long list of large predators which have been wiped out in Scotland over the last few centuries.

Douglas Richardson, of the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig near Aviemore, said: “We are dealing with an animal that’s the last of its kind in the British Isles.

“We formerly had lynx and other big, dangerous and interesting animals. But this is our last feline predator and I think we are duty bound to protect it.

“There are many representatives from Scotland and the UK who are involved in conservation efforts with tigers in Asia or giant pandas in China.

“If we allow the Scottish wildcat to disappear, then the Indians, the Russians, the Chinese could quite rightly turn round and say ‘Why should we bother? You didn’t.’”

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