The red fox and European rabbit topped the list of most commonly spotted mammals across the British Isles during National Mammal Week 2024. This year’s event, running from April 22nd-28th, launched the first-ever Big Mammal Challenge, encouraging citizens to record mammal sightings and help build critical data for wildlife conservation.
Citizen Scientists Step Up for Mammal Conservation
The Big Mammal Challenge was designed to help people discover the wild mammals living in their local environments while contributing to essential scientific research. The public was asked to record sightings of mammals, or signs such as footprints and droppings, using the Mammal Society’s Mammal Mapper app. The response was overwhelming, with a 110% increase in records submitted compared to typical app usage, totalling 473 sightings during the week.
Of these, 10.6% were sightings of red foxes, and 10.6% were of European rabbits, making them the joint most commonly recorded mammals. Coming in second were roe deer at 10.1%, followed by badgers (9.5%) and European moles (8.2%). In contrast, the least commonly recorded species included water and common shrews, house mice, and invasive species like the American mink and sika deer.
Schools Play a Vital Role
The challenge also reached classrooms, with educators and students across the UK getting involved. Schools like Little Stanion Primary embraced the opportunity to explore local wildlife with hands-on activities, such as building footprint tunnels to track mammal activity in their playgrounds.
Liz Williams, a teacher at Little Stanion, praised the Mammal Society for providing resources that made it easy to engage students. “Our children loved making the footprint tunnels and were excited to check for visitors. Some even took the idea home to continue surveying in their own gardens,” she said.
Anna, a 10-year-old pupil, shared her excitement: “My team built a big tunnel for hedgehogs, but we only saw small footprints, probably from mice. It was still so much fun to see what animals visit our playground!”
A Bright Future for Mammal Conservation
The Big Mammal Challenge is part of the Mammal Society’s wider effort to promote public involvement in conservation. Recently, the society raised over £4,500 to support the formation of urban Local Mammal Groups in cities like Glasgow, London, and Cardiff. These groups allow anyone interested in urban wildlife to get involved in monitoring and conservation projects. Additionally, the Mammal Society is launching a 'library of things', lending equipment like camera traps to local groups for their projects.
Other ongoing initiatives include the Searching for Shrews project, where citizen scientists dissect barn owl pellets to track the invasive greater white-toothed shrew.
Connecting People with Nature
Derek Crawley, Vice Chair of the Mammal Society, reflected on the success of the challenge, noting how it allowed the public to easily connect with nature. “By recording signs like molehills or spotting squirrels, people have contributed valuable data that helps us track mammal populations across the British Isles. These records are crucial for monitoring biodiversity and shaping local planning decisions.”
The challenge’s success marks just the beginning, with hopes of even greater participation next year. “With growing threats like climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, it’s more important than ever for the public to get involved in monitoring and conserving our native mammals,” said Alana, Communications Officer for the Mammal Society.
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