Zoo with a conscience

THE recent deliberate release of mink into an area of the New Forest set me thinking about the conservation of our mammals.

I doubt if many people these days agree with killing animals for fur. I certainly don't agree but the people who released the mink have done nobody any favours, least of all the mink itself. This predator was introduced into Britain in the last century as fur farms developed. It has no natural predators and therefore the mink play havoc with birds and even, more importantly, with our native mammals, including the water vole and the otter.

The water vole was made famous as Ratty in Wind In The Willows.

The only long-term answer to the survival of the water vole and otter is to control mink, improve the quality of our river water and also to develop a captive breeding programme. Only then will vulnerable species be protected. This is where good zoos come into their own. I went to visit the scientists working at Blackpool Zoo and not only are they concerned with foreign species such as tigers, elephants, orang utangs, exotic birds such as parrots but they are now thankfully focusing on our native mammals. Blackpool now has a pair of water voles and a pair of otters, all of which have been bred in captivity. The water voles are not always easy to see because the philosophy of good zoos these days is to allow all animals the privacy they need to breed properly.

This also applies to the pair of otters but this pair just love swimming, climbing and diving. They occupy a large area which was once the penguin pool. It is possible to see and enjoy these wonderfully agile mammals which have clean water, logs to lie on, crevices to hide under and artificial waterfalls to splash into. As they emerged from the water I was able to see the oil on their fur which is one of the methods they employ to prevent water from penetrating through to their skin.

If breeding programmes are to be successful, accurate records have to be kept.

These are kept on computer and it is possible for zoos all over the world to communicate with each other. Whenever vulnerable species cease to breed in a zoo then it is possible to swap animals between one zoo and another. Modern zoos are a cross between education, conservation and enjoyment. This is the perfect combination.

Anyone wishing to arrange group visits should ring the Zoo on 01253 765027. It is open every day except Christmas Day. When you look at the zoo buildings it looks very much like an airport. This is not surprising because the zoo used to be Blackpool's airport. The elephants are housed in the old hangars and the offices were once the control tower.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.