Vole-au-Vent: Water voles spotted enjoying classic French cuisine

30 April 2010

British Waterways’ ecologists have discovered some unusual feeding habits of the normally herbivorous water vole after finding evidence of them eating the well known French delicacy – frogs’ legs.

The water vole, better known as ‘Ratty’ from The Wind in the Willows, is the UK’s fastest declining mammal and is known to have a largely vegetarian diet consisting of grass and plants. However, a recent survey along the Kennet & Avon Canal in Berkshire has revealed that these shy, fury animals have developed a taste for the Continent and have been snacking on frogs’ legs, as well as the odd snail.

British Waterways’ ecologists Robert Randall and Oda Dijksterhuis carried out the surveys. Robert explains: “We found a number of typical water vole feeding areas that were littered with dead frogs, minus their legs. As a water vole’s diet is normally vegetarian, this rather gruesome scene isn’t what we’d expect to find at all.

“We’re not really sure why it’s happening, but as the evidence coincides with the water voles breeding season we think it may be that pregnant mothers are snacking on frogs’ leg as they lack protein in their diet. This is incredibly unusual behaviour and as far as we know this is the first recorded evidence we have of them eating frogs’ legs, so it’s a really exciting discovery. We’ll be keeping an eye on what happens next over the coming months.”

If you see a water vole, frog or any other wildlife on your local canal or river, British Waterways wants to hear about it. Just make a note of what you see and where, and log your sighting at www.waterscape.com/wildlifesurvey

ENDS

For more information or images contact:
Sarah Rudy: T: 01908 302584 M: 07788 691 19 sarah.rudy@britishwaterways.co.uk
Nayna Wood: T: 020 7985 7314 M: 07796 191120 nayna.wood@britishwaterways.co.uk

Notes to Editors
Water voles need to eat about 80 per cent of their body weight in food a day. They often bring their food to the water’s edge and will leave the chewed up remains in neat piles known as ‘feeding stations’ which ecologists can use to monitor their eating patterns.

British Waterways ecologists carried out the survey in April ahead of bank protection works to maintain water vole habitat and prevent habitat degradation through erosion along a stretch of the Kennnet & Avon Canal between Hungerford and Newbury in this, the canal’s bicentennary year.

British Waterways (BW) is responsible for a 2,200 mile canal and river network in England, Wales and Scotland. There are nearly 300 million visits made to BW’s waterways every year for a wide range of leisure and everyday activities including walking, cycling, angling, boating, wildlife spotting or just simply feeding the ducks. The work of British Waterways and further corporate information can be found at www.britishwaterways.co.uk

The Kennet & Avon Canal Bicentenary
In 2010 the Kennet & Avon Canal celebrates the 200th anniversary of its opening in 1810. The canal winds its way 87 miles from Reading to Bath, before joining the River Avon and linking to Bristol. The canal is a 200-year-old feat of engineering, originally built as a trade route, now supporting a thriving leisure industry following a record £25 million restoration project supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
The Kennet & Avon Canal is managed and maintained by British Waterways, in partnership with the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust, local authorities and numerous volunteer groups. The canal is a diverse wildlife habitat, home to an impressive array of historic industrial architecture, a boating route, a long distance path, a holiday destination and much more to many thousands of people who visit each year.
The K&A 200 steering group, including British Waterways, Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and VisitWiltshire?, has joined forces to promote the canal during 2010, its bicentenary year. Through a series of activities and events, organisations, local groups and national bodies will be celebrating the canal’s history, enjoying its beauty and looking forward to its development as a much-loved asset to the communities through which it passes and connects.