Help save garden wildlife
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Healthy goldfinch: Credit Amy Lewis
Garden owners across the country are being asked to monitor the well-being of wildlife visitors for the Garden Wildlife Health Project - a major public-led investigation which has launched this week.
The initiative has arisen from a unique collaboration between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). It is encouraging gardeners to report signs of disease in hedgehogs, garden birds, amphibians, reptiles and others to assess the impact of disease on the rise and fall in animal populations and learn how to safeguard them in the future.
“We all share our gardens with wildlife,” says Tim Hopkins, Garden Wildlife Health Project Coordinator at ZSL, “but often fail to notice how these animals are faring. We’re already seeing a steep decline in a number of iconic British animals and we need to know whether disease is playing a role.”
“This new national project relies on help and support from the British public and we urge people to get in contact with us to tell us what they’re seeing in their gardens; it really will make a difference.”
To learn about the project and how to spot the diseases affecting British wildlife go to www.gardenwildlifehealth.org