Electronic Precinct - Nov 1997

Earthwatch at Leahurst

Volunteers from the organisation Earthwatch Europe recently attended three Small Mammal Workshops at the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Leahurst. Earthwatch organise Discovery Programmes which provide its members with an unequalled opportunity to get involved in UK-based research. Since 1971, Ear thwatch has been an international charity which has grown to become one of the world's largest private founders of field research, supporting nearly 2000 projects in 118 different countries. The Wirral may be less exotic than other locations for Earthwatch projects, such as the Brazilian rainforest , and voles and wood mice may seem a little ordinary compared to a captured cheetah on the plains of Namibia, however, Earthwatch are eager to encourage UK-based projects. The UK projects have the benefit of informing people about their native species, as well as enabling them to gain hands-on ecol ogical experience, without the same expense. Each volunteer paid £200 (to cover their accommodation and full board), which is a fraction of the cost of the overseas projects.

The volunteers were involved in a project looking at 'the effect of endemic disease on wildlife populations'. The research project was set up by Professor Mike Begon (School of Biological Sciences) and Dr Malcolm Bennett (Faculty of Veterinary Science). Co-ordination of the field work volunteers wa s carried out by post-doctoral student Sarah Feore. The role of infectious disease in the population dynamics of wild animals is poorly understood and this project is providing information which may have an important bearing on the conservation of many species of wild animal. The study looks at cow pox in wild rodent populations of bank voles and wood mice. Over the last three years specimens have been studied in two woods on the Wirral and their antibody levels to cowpox has been monitored. Each individual animal is identified with an electronic tag, so they can be followed over time (using a capture-mark-recapture technique). On every occasion animals were sexed, weighted, checked for ectoparasites and blood sampled before being released. The Earthwatch volunteers assisted the fieldwork during one of the busiest times of the year which gave the researchers valuable assistance and the volunteers a chance to learn the techniques of trapping and sampling small mammals.