Friday 19 September 2014

Dogs Trust Evesham - Newt Sanctuary



The ecology here is so rich and valuable to our centre and we are working to ensure all steps are made during our rebuild to preserve the natural balance here at Dogs Trust Evesham. From Bats in our education centre to Great Crested Newts in our pond our aim is to keep our centre enriched with wildlife. As the current pond is so close to the building work we need to ensure their safety is taken seriously and their habitat could be at risk. For this reason we are building a brand new pond built with them in mind, away from the rest of the rebuild in one of our fields here. We will be trained on how to safely transfer the newts from one pond to the other when they are ready for transfer.

That is not all we have here, in fact on a beautiful summers day whilst walking dogs in our fields you will often be accompanied by swifts darting around catching insects around your feet! They will be provided with bird boxes as will some of the other bird species we have here – all tailored to their requirements and hidden in the trees when we are rebuilt. We have Foxes, Buzzards, the occasional kestrel, Sky larks and a whole host of other birds, insects and mammals – We have even heard Tawny Owls hooting from the woods behind us!

The bats will have a brand new pad to call their own instead of living in the education centre loft, they are being provided with “bat friendly accommodation” in our new maintenance barns and dark corridors around the site to ensure safe navigation.

The newts will have a new pond and after the breeding season when they naturally return to our current pond, they will be relocated to their brand new habitat which should cater for all of their needs. As our newts have been breeding this year we are hoping that they will continue to breed and become a treasured and rather special addition to our site!

We are working closely with the environmental agencies to ensure everything is done correctly and we are very proud to have such a vibrant and diverse site. We do not just love the dogs here – but all of the animals we are surrounded by!





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