The trust said in a statement that it hoped that over the coming months, the aquatic rodents will “adapt easily to life on the 16-hectare reserve at Thundry Meadows and establish widely across the top of the Wey catchment”.<\/p>\n
Their return would also benefit other species which depend on healthy wetland habitats including herons and birds of prey, they added.<\/p>\n
David Elliott, National Trust lead ranger for the South Downs West said: “Nature wins when we work together.”<\/p>\n
“It’s so encouraging to see the water voles returning after all this time, they have been locally extinct for decades.<\/p>\n
“The return of this enchanting species adds a missing piece to this jigsaw.”<\/p>\n
The release is part of a wider effort led by the National Trust, River Wey Trust and South East Rivers Trust to reintroduce the locally extinct species back to the River Wey.<\/p>\n
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