Rare newts get special haven

newts

This touching tale of rehousing endangered newts was reported 27 years ago. Let’s hope the colony is still surviving in its Uffington idyll.

‘A rare species of newt has been found a new home by a major housing developer after it was discovered at an Uffington building site.

Around 70 to 80 Great Crested Newts, which are an endangered species, were found in a disused seasonal pond but are now living in water haven purpose-built by David Wilson Homes.

Th rescue operation was co-ordinated with the help of ecologist David Jones and English Nature who approved the new 100 metre square pond which features aquatic plants, shrubs and trees.

The company’s landscape architect, Margaret Leech, said: “It’s the first time the company has come across anything like this.

She added: “It was a nightmare transplanting them to the new pond. It took about four days with us catching them with nets and carrying them in buckets.”

Mrs Leech says the pond has been designed with gently sloping sides so it attracts other wildlife and when the newts were moved so were frogs and toads.

The rare newts which Mrs Leech likens to “little dinosaurs”, can grow to more that eight inches long and have a crest running down their backs.

The moist-textured reptiles are green and brown in colour and develop a blue and orange chest in the breeding season.

Most of the Great Crested Newt population lives in Europe and Mrs Leech said: “We have got to maintain our stocks for the rest of the world.”‘

The Stamford Mercury, 13th August, 1993.