Hidden cameras show wild North
Jun 6 2009 by Amy Hunt, The Journal
INTRUDERS have been spotted creeping into gardens across the North East.
But these nocturnal trespassers are not out to break and enter. Sly foxes, badgers and hedgehogs have been caught on camera patrolling the streets of our towns. Inspired by the TV series Springwatch, experts from Northumberland, Durham and Tees Valley Wildlife Trusts have set up hidden cameras in gardens, school grounds and next to workplaces in an effort to find out what is lurking out there.
And they have already seen some great results, with some of the country’s most threatened wildlife, like water voles and otters, popping up to appear on camera.
The project is part of WildPlaces, an ongoing initiative designed to get people from around the region interested in the species which live, literally, in their back yard. Thanks to funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, WildPlaces hopes to use the latest camera technology to show how even urban areas are popular haunts for wildlife and to get people involved in doing their own spotting and secret camera work.
WildPlaces sees the first time all three Wildlife Trusts in the region have worked together in an effort to get a new audience involved in our natural surroundings.
Jim Cokill, director of Durham Wildlife Trust, said: “Our urban areas are incredibly important for wildlife, including many mammals. Water voles have declined by 94% in our region, but they have found a haven on urban streams in South Tyneside and Middlesbrough.
