This endangered species is once again populating the RSPB’s Insh Marshes in the Badenoch and Strathspey region, having become locally extinct there over two decades ago. Efforts to eradicate the non-native American Mink, which preys on them, wiping them out in numerous areas of the British Isles, is thought to be the main reason behind their resurgence. Predation by the Mink, along with habitat loss, made the water vole this country’s fastest declining mammal, with their numbers having been reduced by 90% over the last forty years.

Since 2011, the Scottish Mink initiative has vastly reduced the number of these voracious predators across Northern Scotland, including the Cairngorms National Park. The re-establishment of this species is encouraging news for conservationists, as Water Voles are good indicators of the general health of wetland ecosystems and a pivotal part of the food chain. With the Mink now thought to be left in just a few isolated pockets of Scotland, there is no reason why these native creatures cannot flourish in the future. RSPB officers have now gathered enough data from sightings to conclude that there is now a sustainable colony of them living along the River Spey area, predominantly in marshland.

Mink arrived here from America during the 1920s onwards, to satisfy an increasing demand for fur farms. At its peak in the 1950s, there were 400 fur farms in the 1950s, and by 1967, they were breeding in the wild in many different parts of the country. Mass releases by animal rights activists followed during the 1990s, exacerbating the problem. Our largest member of the Vole family is now a protected species, with their burrows being a no-go area unless you have a licence. There are now numerous surveys taking place nationwide to provide a more detailed map of their distribution. These elusive creatures can be spotted at riverside burrows, with the entrance often surrounded by nibbled pieces of grass.