PRESS RELEASE

23 November 2009

ILLUSTRATED TALK: THE POLECAT RADIO-TRACKING PROJECT

On 2nd December Cheshire Wildlife Trust’s Congleton & Macclesfield Local Group will be hosting an illustrated talk by Rob Scrivens about the RSPCA’s Polecat Radio-tracking Project in Cheshire at St John’s Church Hall in Macclesfield.

Rob Scrivens works for the RSPCA wildlife rescue centre in Nantwich and will explain how the radio-tracking project helps to monitor polecats in Cheshire, and how the monitoring can help benefit these striking creatures which are often nick-named ‘bandit’ because of the light and dark mask-like markings around their eyes.

The polecat is native to Britain. It is not actually a cat, but is part of the weasel family. Polecats can live in all kinds of habitat, but show a marked preference for wet areas and the banks of rivers. They are common near human habitation, especially liking farm buildings, dry stone walls, field edges, marshland and woodpiles.

Polecats arrived in Britain after the last Ice-Age, but with the advent of estate-managed game-keeping in the 19th century, the number of polecats declined to a small population in Western Wales.

During the two World Wars, and following the population explosion of the rabbit during the 1950s, the polecat began to increase and made a healthy resurgence across Wales. Cheshire lies on the Welsh border and as a consequence, polecats have been noticed in our county for a number of years, and they seem to be increasing in number.

The Polecat talk is one of a series of wildlife talks and other events hosted by the Congleton & Macclesfield Local Group. It starts at 7.30pm in St John’s Church Hall, Earlsway, Macclesfield SK11 8RS and is open to all. An entry fee of £2.50 will be charged.

-ENDS-