UK Wild Boar Trust

THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BELOW ARE MINE AND NOT THAT OF UKWBT

In 2006 I helped set up Friends of the Wild Boar (do not confuse with Friends of the Boar) with two other people.
The wild boar had only been present in the Forest of Dean for two years at this time and during the following couple of years, the three of us from FotWB worked hard  to highlight the issues surrounding these newcomers. Poaching was a big problem as all of a sudden the shooters had a new prey species to hunt. Gaining support proved very hard as the boar were not as widespread as they are today and the support just wasn't out there.
We were always open and were appealing for help from day one, but sadly no one bothered to come forward.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of help and support, Friends of the Wild Boar dwindled away, but at least we had opened communications between the Forestry Commission and the Council during the time we were active.
Supposedly, in 2011 (7 years after the boar arrived in the FoD) David Slater helped set up Friends of the Boar and took over where we had left off. The foundations for this renamed group were already in place and during the following 18 months I contributed to helping this group and the wild boar.

In late 2012, after a conflict in interests and beliefs I decided to leave FotB. This was a hard decision as I was not turning my back on the wild boar, but on certain people within this group for their out there and insane views on wild boar populations and management.

In December 2012, along with some like minded colleagues UK Wild Boar Trust was founded and is now a very successful organisation. We have numerous high profile Patrons including Andy Rouse, Iolo Williams, Zara Boland and Sarah Jane Honeywell.
Chris Packham has also publicly shown his support.

UKWBT was created as a hub for the whole of the UK, so that any areas with wild boar can find information and can easily contact us. We have people working in Devon, monitoring and surveying the area and we soon expect to have people across the whole of the UK, feeding data back to us.

I also helped set up and now run GlosARG as well as UKWBT and after taking a week off work I spent four days getting my hands dirty,  managing, crating and repairing reptile and amphibian habitats in Gloucestershire. This was done on my own and with Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, for whom I am a volunteer. I also attended meetings with the Forestry Commission, Wildlife Trust and FoDDC; all wildlife related.
Not all of the damage was down to boar, but three of my locations had seen extensive disturbance from boar rooting and this is the worst possible time as the reptiles will soon be emerging from hibernation.
This was corrected and new habitat identified and managed.

UKWBT does not want to see any boar removed from our forest, however, as a conservation group we care for all wildlife, not just the boar like FotB. For this reason we understand that there will be times when other wildlife and habitats will be at risk if the boar population increases above a certain level and we need a balance for all of our wildlife.
We will be working closely with the FC tomake sure this balance is maintained, but also to make sure that "no boar" are removed unless "absolutely necessary."

Below are just a few pics from my conservation work this last week. Not many photos as I was hard at work and it was raining most of the time.

30 corrugated tins we put out for artificial refuge 

One of the tins. Reptiles and amphibians will use these as shelter

This is a pond in the Forest of Dean, which is surrounded by roads. Unfortunately toads, frogs and newts cross the roads to get to the pond to breed.
Along with my colleague and good friend Scott Passmore and one other volunteer we cut away around 30 metres of thick bramble this afternoon. This was to create a clear area to funnel the amphibians into a certain area where a toad tunnel runs under the road.

Toad Crossing

Before work began

And after. Hard work as only three of us, but we got there. This will help channel to amphibians to the tunnel

Tunnel entrance to the pond on the other side of the road

Hopefully this shows that UKWBT is working at a large number of wildlife conservation levels throughout Gloucestershire.
If you wish to support us, and / or get involved please visit the following links.

UKWBT - Website
UKWBT - Facebook

GlosARG - Website
GlosARG - Facebook

We are also on Twitter - UKWBT - - - GlosARG 



Thanks

Rob
      

Badger Cull; Poaching and Lots More

Sorry I have not posted for a while; been busy with house renovations and work. 

Lots going on in the Forest of Dean to take up my spare time though and I have listed everything (with photographs) below. It has taken me a few hours to put this post together, so please take the time to read through as there is some very important stuff below.

Please do not forget to click on the links and support whatever you can as our wildlife depends on people like us. Thanks, Rob.

GlosARG

As most of you are aware, along with a friend (Scott Passmore) I recently founded GlosARG and we are delighted to inform you that we have our first patrons.

Patron 1 - Zara Boland (better known as Zara the Vet) http://www.zarathevet.com/.

Zara is known for her media vet work and is a regular feature on Channel 5, the BBC and Sky TV. She is also the founder and Director of Vet Voice.  

Patron 2 - Sean McCormack

Sean is a veterinary surgeon and has worked with domestic and exotic animals after finishing University. During vet school Sean completed Canine Behaviour and Zoo Medicine elective modules. Over the years he has kept and bred a huge variety of reptiles and amphibians. 

We welcome both patrons and thank them for their support.

Talking of reptiles lets look at some adders, which I photographed this year while surveying. 

This female gained me my first ever "explore" on Flickr and in case you are wondering, yes I was really that close.

She was not very old, probably around 2 or 3 years and like many snakes of this age, she was extremely inquisitive. She was basking on a log and I managed to get my camera on the end so I was shooting straight up the log at her. She watched me for a while before deciding to come down and check me out.

When this happens it is truly amazing as they show no aggression at all, they just come down, taste the air and stare straight into the lens. Photographed using the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro lens.

Juvenile Adder (Vipera berus)

Here is mum in the same area, except basking on a different log. The mature snakes are not easy to get close to as they are more wary, so I never try and get up close with them.

Mature Female Adder (Vipera berus)

GlosARG on Facebook

GlosARG on Twitter

GlosARG Official Website

BADGER CULL

Now onto a very important and distressing situation. The proposed badger cull!

I understand that bTB (Bovine Tuberculosis) is a debilitating disease and that it must be tackled, however, I strongly disagree that by eradicating the badger it will stop this disease. Yes it will reduce the numbers of infected cattle, but as this is not a cure I believe that an alternative must be considered.

Over the years DEFRA has spent millions on a vaccine, yet they have chosen to shelve it and go ahead with the culling of 70% of badgers in the Westcountry.

The startling realisation is that if they go ahead and kill 70% of badgers in the proposed areas, it is fact that this will reduce bTB by just 16%! Hundreds, if not thousands of badgers will be slaughtered and yet we will still be left with this disease, why? because other animals (mammals) can also carry and transmit this disease. Mice, rats, deer, fox and wild boar; they can all carry bTB and they are all capable of entering farmland.

I wrote to MP Jim Paice in 2010 expressing my concerns and I asked him to clarify numerous questions regarding farming practices, testing and the movement of cattle in known bTB hot spots. I received a 6 page reply in 2011 where he answered all of my questions, although indirectly.

Badgers will be targeted illegally and it has already started! - Story Here

If you would like to help, please visit the following links

Brain May's Save Me (Yes, that Brian May)  

Save Me on Facebook

Save Me on Twitter

Save Me Official Website

Brian is due to visit the Forest of Dean very soon to talk and express his concerns.

Please also support GABS (Gloucestershire Against Badger Shooting)

GABS on Facebook

GABS on Twitter

GABS Official Website

Playful Badger in the Forest of Dean

                                           

POACHING

If you admit to having a problem, you then have no option but to deal with it and sadly the seriousness of poaching in the Forest of Dean is being played down by the people who are supposed to be managing and caring for our forest "and the wildlife!"

Evidence of poaching can be found all over the forest, yet it is still not being taken seriously. Yes, the Police have asked for information regarding a recent incident, but who is going to grass on a poacher with a shotgun, or high powered rifle?

To see the aftermath, left behind after these butchers have been to work is gut wrenching and it has to stop. The most recent incident involved a 18 month old male wild boar, which had been shot in the jaw and then slowly bled to death in the forest. This is inhumane animal cruelty and the people responsible must be stopped.

The Police are asking for information regarding a 4x4 seen at Forest Hills Golf Club in the Forest of Dean last week. Apparently the occupants were shooting at wild boar from the vehicle. 

Open your eyes people, this is public land, used by dog walkers and golfers. If this carries on someone is going to die!!!

Story Here

Below are some photographs taken deep in the forest where no public access is allowed. The Forestry Commission have said that they do not use this track, so whoever made these tracks were in the forest without permission.

It goes without saying that we obviously reported the location to the FC, yet so far nothing has been done to try and stop them, whoever they are. They are here regularly as the mess is getting worse on a weekly basis.

If you would like to help, please visit Friends of the Boar.

Friends of the Boar on Facebook

Friends of the Boar Official Website

                                              

                                                     

Moving on from the sorry state our country has become under the new so called Government, here are a few photographs from recent months.

Red Fox 

This young fox knew something was there, but as he couldn't see me it made him inquisitive. He walked to within a few metres before he smelt me and legged it. He did come back though, so I obviously don't smell that bad?

Curious Fox

Red Kite
A portrait of a red kite. The key is to position yourself with the sun hitting just one side of the face. Through the naked eye you will still see the entire face, but by dropping the exposure it will highlight just the areas where the sun is hitting.

Thoughts of a Kite!

Three years ago I photographed this chap and ever since I have wondered if I would ever see him again. As the years passed I resigned myself to the thought that he must have been either culled or poached. However, after more than three hours in one location on Tuesday and with a very sore bum he walked out in front of me.
Moments like these are truly magical and will stay with me forever.

Ghost of the Forest

And Finally - Lightning

Nature is all around us, all the time, but on occasions it unleashes something quite spectacular. Lightning is awesome to watch and photograph as you capture details, which can never be seen through the naked eye.
The shots below have been taken over a few years.

It doesn't have to be big, to be impressive!

The lightning in this shot has illuminated to mist forming over the forest

Over in an instance, yet the intensity of the light is overwhelming 

Rob

GlosARG

We are off and running with our new group; GlosARG!

Gloucestershire Amphibian and Reptile Group has been set up for the conservation of all our native reptiles and amphibians throughout Gloucestershire.
We are an affiliated group of ARG UK.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

If you would like to get involved, please contact us through one of the links below. We have a website, Facebook and Twitter pages, so you can easily get hold of us.
The feeling you get from knowing you have done something to conserve wildlife can not be beaten, so please get involved. It is fun, interesting and educational.
Get the kids involved and give them a passion, which will carry them well through life. What a feeling it would be to see your own children pass this gift onto your grandchildren!

We have only been running for a few weeks and in this time we have already discovered a "new" Great Crested Newt colony in the Forest of Dean.
These newts are endangered and protected by European law, so we couldn't have hoped for a better start!

You can reach us through the following links below.

GlosARG Website
Facebook
Twitter

ARG UK

Thank you in advance.

Rob

"New" Gloucestershire ARG

With a friend I have started a new amphibian and reptile conservation group in the Forest of dean, Gloucestershire.
This group is called GlosARG and we are an affiliated group of ARG UK.

Our aim is to.....

Raise awareness
Recruit volunteers
Survey Gloucestershire
Manage existing habitats
Create new habitats
Achieve protection status on existing and new habitats
See Gloucestershire recognised as a special place for Herptile Conservation

This isn't going to happen overnight and it isn't going to be easy, but with our passion, focus and some much needed help, I am sure we can achieve our goals.
Until now Gloucestershire did not have a ARG group, so Scott and I decided to change this and show the world the wonders of this special place.
Please contact me if you would like to help. We will be organising walks, talks as well as teaching volunteers how to survey all the magnificent amphibians and reptiles we have in Gloucestershire.

ARG Website

Follow us on...
Twitter
Facebook


As well as many other species, these are just some of the amphibians and reptiles we will be surveying and looking after throughout Gloucestershire.

Great Crested Newt

Adder

Grass Snake

Common Lizard

Toads

Frogs

Rob

Spawning Frogs

Photographs taken at a pond on a local nature reserve. The water level was quite low and a lot of the spawn was exposed and drying out!
While photographing the frogs I kept looking at the spawn, wondering how long it could survive out of water.
I didn't know the answer to this so I moved it carefully back into the water. It may rain tonight and all may have been fine, but I didn't want to take the risk!
Last year this same pond was full and the spawn was all submerged or floating in the water, but this year is totally different!


Here are some pics taken at the pond over the last couple of days.

Rob

Atrazine - Amphibian Killer

Atrazine is a common pesticide, which is commonly used on corn crops among others around the world. It has been revealed that this chemical is having a devastating affect on the world’s frog population, turning male frogs into females!

Sounds bizarre? It gets worse. Once the male frogs have been turned into females, they can breed successfully with other males. The problem is, because the converted frogs are genetically male and they are breeding with another male, all their offspring will be male!

The true male frogs will have no idea, so they will think they have successfully mated, when in fact they have contributed towards their species demise!

The most common Trade Name for this chemical is AAtrex, but other trade names include...

00045 (CA DPR Chem Code) , 080803 (US EPA PC Code) , 1,3,5-Triazine-2,4-diamine, 6-chloro-N-ethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)- , 1-Chloro-3-ethylamino-5-isopropylamino-2,4,6-triazine , 1912-24-9 (CAS Number) , 1912249 , 1912249 (CAS Number) , 2-Chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine , 2-Chloro-4-(propylamino)-6-ethylamino-s-triazine , 3-(N-Butyl-N-acetyl)aminopropionic acid , 305 (PDP Code) , 45 (CA DPR Chem Code) , 6-chloro-N2-ethyl-N4-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine , A 361 , AAtram, component of (with 019101) , AAtrex , Aktikon , Aktikon PK , Aktinit A , Aktinit PK , Argezin , Atazinax , Atranex , Atrataf , Atratol , Atrazin , Atrazina , Atrazine , Atrazine , Atrazine (ANSI) , Atrazine plus related active triazines , Azinotox 500 , Candex , Cekuzina-T , Crisazina , Cyazine , Farmco Atrazine , Fenamin , Fenatrol , G 30027 , Gesaprim , Griffex , Guardsman herbicide (080803+129051) , Hungazin , Hungazin PK , Inakor , Oleogesaprim , Primatol A , Primaze , Radazine , s-Triazine, 2-chloro-4-(ethylamino)-6-(isopropylamino)- , Shell Atrazine Herbicide , Strazine , Sutazine +, component of (with 041405) , Triazine A 1294 , Vectal SC , Weedex , Weedex A , Wonuk , Zeazin , Zeazine

If you use pesticides, please check the brand on-line to make sure it has no devastating affects on our wildlife!

Look at the "W" listings above. Recognise the name Weedex? You should do as it is a very common brand in the UK!

I am sure that by now you are all aware that it wouldn't take long for the frogs to breed the true females out and then when the males die, the species will die with them!








This sight may one day be lost forever from our ponds if we don't act now!

PS: This is not scaremongering, it is fact!

Thanks

Rob

Frogs (Spawning)

Here are some pics of some spawning frogs in a local pond in the Forest of Dean.

There were well over a thousand frogs in the entire pond. An awesome sight.