THE future of one of Britain’s most endangered species - the white-clawed crayfish - is being safeguarded by students at an agriculture college in Cheshire.
Reaseheath College in Nantwich came to the rescue when a brook that was home to 16 of the protected creatures was threatened by a new bypass.
Its animal care department obtained a licence to keep and breed wild animals and the crayfishes’ move to the college was backed by English Nature, the Environment Agency and the Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
The students’ studies will be recorded on a national database and will include monitoring water quality, preferred habitat, diet and behaviour. If the breeding programme is a success large numbers of the native freshwater crayfish will be returned to streams throughout the North-west.
Richard Champion, the animal behaviour and welfare course manager, said:
“We had been keen to get involved in a project like this for some time and the threat to the crayfishes’ habitat was an ideal opportunity.
“Working on a study like this is invaluable for the students. They are taking part in important research and, because these are wild creatures, not farm animals or domestic pets, there is more of a challenge.”
It also gave the students, who are studying for National Diploma, HND and BSc qualifications, the chance to work with various environmental organisations, who may be their future employers.
The college hopes that having successfully obtained a licence to keep and breed the crayfish it will be easier in future to get a licence for other threatened creatures.
Loss of habitat is not the only threat to the white-claw. An American rival, the signal crayfish, is taking over British waters and carries a disease to which the white-claw is susceptible.
At the college the crayfish are housed either in tanks where they can be easily studied or in a purpose-built pond.
One problem for their keepers is their tendency to eat each other when shedding their shells. So far though, the creatures are thriving.
Students Joanne Whitehouse, 23, and Emma Hunt, 22, believe it is a valuable project. They are in the first year of a BSc in animal welfare and behaviour course having completed a National Certificate in Animal Care at the college last year.
Joanne said: “The hardest part is trying to give the crayfish as natural an environment as possible. The project is rewarding and is a valuable experience. It will look good on our CVs as well.”
