We released 204 water rats & they've gone absolutely wild

[@LeaveCurious]

Support this rewilding project and many more by becoming a member at Mossy Earth! mossy.earth/?referral=LEAVECURIOUS

[@brucealanwilson4121]

Wascthat the species of Rat in "The Wind in the Willows"?

[@Weirdisjustabrownandyellowword]

Is there anything I can do to help besides donating? Are you looking for volunteers?

[@ChrisCokeRobinson]

I thought water rats were a problem..

[@Weirdisjustabrownandyellowword]

@@ChrisCokeRobinson You hear the word rat and you immediately think problem. Why do people hate rats so much? I'm not even sure these are actual rats.

[@Kaczyfunny]

There are several rewilding project. You reported about beaver releasing too. Are the waterdogs and beavers competitors to each others?

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for covering this project Rob! It is amazing to see how quickly they have spread :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@Hungary_0987]

yoooo

[@Cooljurassic_Conservation]

I love what you do mossy earth!

[@kingshtcook]

I

[@jennijenjenjen]

“What is my purpose?” “You feed owls.” “Oh. My. God.”

[@EliJustChillin]

I see what you did there lol

[@cosmicreef5858]

No they LIVE THAT is their ourpose No living being is an object

[@Stop_Gooning]

@@cosmicreef5858 Every living being is food for another living being. There is purpose beyond life.

[@EliJustChillin]

@@cosmicreef5858 tell that to their predators lol

[@Zergling.]

@@EliJustChillin Well technically they living is good for predators, if they just disappear because they cant live in that location is bad for predators too.

[@jamesjefferies3762]

I've retired now, but when I was kid I'd fish the river Frome along the Chalford valley. Water voles were everywhere munching away on reeds and rushes. I loved to see them but pretty much took them for granted. Then one day I found a dead Swan cygnet that had been half devoured by something A couple of days later, nearby, I saw my first mink skulking along the far bank. Since then the Valley has died. The river and canal have all but dried up, the millions of sticklebacks are gone, the trout have all but disappeared and you no longer hear any munching water voles. Sad times indeed.

[@someblokecalleddave1]

You can thank the anti-fur brigade for your Mink introduction. They used to raid the Mink farms and let the bloody things free without giving a thought to the consequences. They're the same sort of people that think its no big deal to have a cat and let it free to go around decimating the local small mammals and birds.

[@geronimo5537]

Welcome to liberal thinking where its illegal to keep your own local wildlife as pets. But legal to important animals from other countries. Because they cannot sustain themselves in your country is the logic. The sad truth is life is not so simple. Every western country is experiencing this failed concept due to law drafted in the early 1900s. Including many invasive species wrecking out ecosystems in the US as well. Practically all animals explode in population in human care. The cost is your local wildlife.

[@ulalaFrugilega]

Wow, you saw it all happening! I remember hanging out by the small river near our village, lying on overhanging branches and watch the water rats swim by majestically. Peaceful days, long ago.

[@LincolnTank-StillOnTheSprue]

Alongside the venerable beaver, these little creatures can return our biodiversity and natural health.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yeah exactly, two key species for our wetlands, which we need more of!

[@kernowconservation5080]

Yes absolutely!

[@blue2mato312]

Modern agriculture is one of the most destructive factors to ecology across much of the earth. Together with destruction of habitat for creating spaces and roads for humans. It all ties into our overpopulation. Modern forestry as well, to cut down whole areas instead of plucking out trees. I don’t know how we can avoid global ecological disaster. Our best chance would actually be to help out the poorest populations in Africa and Asia so they don’t need or want so many children, but that would mean sharing our wealth in the west and keep corruption out both here and there. I do love every effort to help species and habitats though, thank you ❤.

[@ZishaTV]

@@blue2mato312 No

[@blue2mato312]

@@ZishaTV No what?

[@kevdimo6459]

I think as well as congratulating Mossy Earth, a hearty congratulations needs to go to the land owner for allowing this project to happen. Here in Australia we need to have private sector teams such as this, we absolutely need it!

[@RP-ws8fl]

Have you heard of Nature Glenelg Trust. They do really similar work in Australia. They don't do videos but their newsletter shows off the fantastic work they do with landscape restoration etc

[@evguenikrassavine5918]

When there was wildfires in Australia, did they asked a permit to go through private lands? When humans shit on a planet, they dont ask permit to create bad... why they need one to create good?

[@wendyblaauw2578]

@@evguenikrassavine5918canetoads

[@HelyaRavn]

I love to see these continuation- or update videos of projects that have been going on for years :) It's so rewarding to see

[@LeaveCurious]

Oh for sure, sometimes it takes a few years to really see change :)

[@mamamoo3974]

Does the name water rats cause unjust negative publicity? They were very widespread when I was a child and it’s lovely to see them thriving.

[@NS-pz8nb]

Most likely. In Australia, we have similar rodents who used to also be called water rats, but an Aboriginal name for them, rakali, was adopted because of the negative connotation with the name water rat

[@astuart101]

I always knew them as water voles and it was a delight when we could spot one on the rare occasion.

[@masatosway4558]

After seeing this channel, www.youtube.com/@ShadowTheRat rats no longer have negative connotations for me.

[@The_Captain40k]

I think the video title is designed to get clicks from people wondering why someone would release rats into the environment. They're usually called voles, not rats.

[@papa_pt]

NYC ruined rats for me

[@DanielOlivierArgyle]

Really enjoyed the presenter's enthusiasm. It seemed really genuine

[@LeaveCurious]

:) well it be wrong to fake it!

[@lstahling]

Thanks!

[@hArtyTruffle]

Back in the 60’s, as a child I “rescued” a water vole and suffered the same to my finger. I thought it was my friend 🤭

[@tylociraptor8131]

I get regular voles in my garden and sometimes they get caught in the divot by my window, so I have to rescue them. Glad I ended up grabbing my carving (knife protection) gloves to do it, cuz lil guys are vicious!

[@raarnt]

As a new Mossy Earth member this pleases me to see

[@indyreno2933]

They're actually called water voles, the word "water rat" refers exclusively to the genus Hydromys, water voles are members of the hamster family, while the water rats are part of the old world mouse and rat family.

[@rjung_ch]

That bite looked horrible, they have such sharp teeth. Glad you are giving them a new chance in living in a great habitat. Thanks guys 👍💪✌

[@lukea997]

Donated to this project when it was first launched, glad to see them thriving, love water voles ❤

[@LeaveCurious]

Thanks for the donation, it makes it all possible :)

[@justinausten1085]

Have been following for years. You are truly coming into your own in reporting and sharing of knowledge and experience. Thanks as always for all ya'll do

[@LeaveCurious]

thanks :)

[@christycullen2355]

Congratulations! It must be a rewarding feeling to see your hard work pay off so successfully.

[@LeaveCurious]

Well Done to everyone involved!

[@mr.lonewolf8199]

Its great to see this crucial species getting spread through out waterways and doing well. Good job Rob and Mossy Earth backers

[@TheHoveHeretic]

Superb update Rob. Thanks On behalf of water voles everywhere, thanks for giving a new release the opportunity to practise it's defence mechanisms in safety! Two years .... already?? Doesn't seem possible it was that long ago .

[@solarpunkalana]

I have absolutely no idea how two years have already passed since the release. Crazy times

[@HedgeWitch-st3yy]

Good to see all update. The whole area looks to be thriving.

[@massimookissed1023]

I spent a couple of months putting out food for a water vole I'd see by the River Barrow here in Carlow Ireland 🇮🇪, then I found out we don't have water voles in Ireland, so I guess I'd just been feeding a rat.

[@yeahokbuddy2510]

Hell yeah man :) little Remmy was mighty pleased with you

[@VVilde36]

think of it like this! You generated that rats fat offspring times X amount by feeding it and giving it an edge, so you've actually fed plenty of larger predators in the absence of the water vole. Some hawke or owl was undoubtedly happy you got confused sometime down the line

[@museumoflosttime9718]

Hoping to see them on the River Dart wetlands

[@LeaveCurious]

That make the area even more epic, I’m not sure if they’re close by or not

[@thomvarey]

This is great news! Ive heard there's successful trapping of mink in Norfolk and Suffolk, will water voles be reintroduced there as well? Thanks for these updates, so happy to be a Mossy Earth member.

[@LeaveCurious]

Should think so yes!!

[@framingwildlife]

@thomvarey There is no need, water voles are recovering on their own. I work for a project called Waterlife Recovery Trust, as lead project officer for Norfolk, and so far this year we have not caught any mink in either Norfolk or Suffolk, with only 7 in Norfolk and 4 in Suffolk caught last year. Prior to that we would catch several and even though Waterlife Recovery Trust is a fairly new charity we have had a mink control program running in Norfolk and Suffolk for over 20 years, so we have been able to stop mink completely wiping out the water voles here, and because of the efforts of many volunteers over those years those surviving water voles are now rapidly spreading on their own. We record all sites with water voles and the map is showing their population spread very well. Reintroduction of water voles is only really needed if there are no close colonies which can then spread once mink are removed, it can also not be beneficial to reintroduce water voles into an area where there might be other water vole colonies because you can dilute the genetics of those colonies, the genetics of local colonies can vary quite a lot from place to place. If you google Waterlife Recovery Trust you can find out lots of info.

[@solarpunkalana]

water voles are naturally recolonising norfolk + suffolk due to the mink trapping going on there so doubt they will be reintroduced... best to follow the water life trust to see their mink eradication project there

[@vidwitch1508]

Didn’t know about these lil guys till I saw a video from Mossy Earth on water voles- but these creatures are amazing, I’m so happy you guys are working to bring them back:))

[@geometron3646]

Reading Enid Blyton's Children of Cherry Tree Farm, and it seems we've got a lot less habitat and species than we used to have.

[@petersp63]

I remember these little fella's everywhere around the Village I live in, lots of little streams and then a bridge over the bye pass was built and they vanished very quickly! so sad!

[@AndrewFishman]

Here in Australia we have the Rakali, a water rat which is a real character. I have had one attack and steal a perch I was reeling in. They are always on the lookout for a feed, and bread and worms are high on their list of favourites, so I have to watch my bait while fishing, or lose it 😄

[@tylociraptor8131]

I just googled them and oh my god they're beautiful!

[@AndrewFishman]

@@tylociraptor8131 I have a couple of vids, including the one that gave me a tug of war over the perch lol and one begging handouts and getting hand fed.

[@SchoolforHackers]

@@AndrewFishmanI would love to see that!

[@AndrewFishman]

@@SchoolforHackers you can :)

[@SchoolforHackers]

@@AndrewFishman 😂 Did you get your lure back?

[@cosmic4037]

Well done to everyone. Thank you

[@cushmanarmitige2369]

I love this work people are doing, it warms my heart to see species brought back to where they belong and all the benefits that come with that.

[@anniehill9909]

Such good news about these little animals. If you read Derek Gow's excellent book, "Birds, Beasts and Bedlam", you will find quite a lot more about them. I hope that the mink trapping programme is extended to allow the voles to move further afield. Of course, there will need to be a lot of work done on Britian's disgustingly polluted waterways, too. Start petitioning the Labour Party now!

[@camillastacey4674]

These are just up the road/river from me- about 4 miles away. I didn't realise they had made it so far from the release site- I'm going to have to go and look for poo piles

[@iamsuzerain3987]

Wonderful and crucial work y'all are doing. Wishing you success in all these endeavors❤👍

[@cloudgoose]

the water voles are so incredibly cute! lovely footage of them enjoying their environment. it’s brings me joy to think of these creatures building their burrows, swimming and eating (and being eaten), fulfilling their role in an ecosystem that’s missed them.

[@philiptaylor7902]

Lovely video Rob, great to see the voles doing so well in Cornwall.

[@jordanhowe1899]

This is amazing and congratulations to everyone involved! Also I'm 80% sure I spotted a water vole at the lake in Ferry Meadows in Peterborough so yay!

[@12theotherandrew]

Where I grew up in Fife, there were lots of water voles, stiklebacks, small trout, minnows, caddice flies and lots of green weed. Now the local streams (burns in Scotland) are clear, effluent stinking and dead.

[@magnumxlpi]

There's lots of green weed here 😎

[@Squarepeg57]

Great project! Well done everyone. I’m happy to be a Mossy Earth supporter 👍

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

Love Voles. Theyre a very underrated animal. Wonder if the reintroduction of other predators would kill and eat the mink. Those so called work gloves are useless ive never done any work with them when i didnt get spiked lol. Ready made landfill.

[@LeaveCurious]

Yeah that be interesting to see what could get them… an ye gloves are hopeless.

[@ajaxtelamonian5134]

@@LeaveCurious Think in Yellowstone they found the wolves ate them. But I guess that wouldn't be realistic lol

[@theotheseaeagle]

@@ajaxtelamonian5134 otters will compete with and sometimes kill the invasive american mink. But the only really reliable way of controlling them is trapping to prevent their spread. It’s not just water voles they kill but native fish, threatened waterbirds and amphibians

[@CrochetIsLife54]

I live in Arizona in the American southwest. 🌵 This environment is pretty much the opposite of that lush, well-watered ex-farm. However, you guys solved a puzzle I had. I wondered why I would find a spot in the yard with droppings when nowhere else had any. Apparently other creatures use “latrines” to mark territory. I don’t know which creature is doing this, though. I get rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional pack rat.

[@carolinejayes157]

Well done mossy earth will have to keep an eye on them.!

[@OwenEdwards97]

I love your presenting style and video format and structure! Keep making these please :)

[@LeaveCurious]

Ah thanks very much. I’ve been focused a lot on developing the format lately, so I appreciate the feedback!

[@RamonaLi-v2f]

Wonderful update, thank you!!!

[@philipashley1517]

Back in the 60s as a young kid, these voles were everywhere on the River Dean in Woodford Cheshire, unfortunately now never seen one😢

[@SorenAlba54]

Wow, two years? Time really does fly. I’m glad to see that the voles are fulfilling their roles in their ecosystems to bring back the natural balance in a land that was so heavily influenced by man that it no longer holds the memory of what it once was. Therefore, the work done here is critical for not only the entire British isle, but to the entire world, as well. Keep up the good work.

[@RussTillling]

Thanks

[@kernowconservation5080]

Great update Rob, a pleasure to have you here again!

[@PotooBurd]

This is so informative! Great job, fantastic reporting!🌻🌼🐝 Keep it up 🙌

[@PaulCoxC]

Great update Rob

[@5joost]

i love the explanation of the ecological impact they have. great video!

[@tomallen9377]

Great channel!! Keep up the great work. Please bring some water voles to Reading!

[@kathrynrosewellness]

Great video! Thank you.

[@ApacheNL1]

These critters absolutely destroy river banks.

[@kennethkessinger5164]

Exactly, People should learn from the past to keep from doing stupid things.

[@Wyseph241]

What can I do to help around my area? {Ireland}

[@LeaveCurious]

Talk about rewilding with your friends and community, be active in the spaces that you own and try and get a group project going with neighbours and like minded others - I’ll make a vid on this

[@messagegoeshere741]

Planting native flowers and berries in your gardens to help the wildlife is a good idea. Setting out a butterfly wateringhole. Cutting back on using pesticides that are harmful.

[@ad9872]

We have some here in VIC AUS which are also endangered. I caught one in a fishing net once and was convinced it was a platypus as their webbed feet are identical but it turned out being a rat which I immediately let back out. It was a great experience nonetheless.

[@CyberShipGamer]

Great work!

[@OfftheShelf-n9x]

Lean hard on the Wind in the Willows connection.

[@kiri101]

The most exciting thing is seeing the way their prescence will begin to affect the whole system - the changing composition of waterway flora, the increased number of predators etc

[@the1andonlytitch]

Saw one of these round where I live (thought it was a fat rat). In just few years they have expanded past the wildlife reserve they were released into and seem to be well fed to say the least :)

[@museumoflosttime9718]

Keep it rolling :-) !

[@LeaveCurious]

Will do !

[@promontorium]

I wonder if calling them voles in the title would get better engagement or worse, because people universally hate rats.

[@zebedeemadness2672]

I would say using Vole would have been more beneficial to the video, Water Rat is a minority common name, not often used personally i've never heard it used in person, Water vole is a apt name that Water rat needs never be used, after all true Voles and kin and true Rats and kin, are of two totally different families. Using Vole definitely wouldn't be worse, people are more inclined to see Voles as cute over Rats (although Rats don't deserve the negative just for being successful), also there's people that don't even know what Voles are and there curiosity of finding out what they are could make them watch. Using the Word Rat may make some people that skim read, see Rat and move on.

[@LeaveCurious]

yeah great question, there's so much to consider when writing titles & making thumbnails. this and coming up with ideas is a huge part of making videos. generally speaking, a title should use words that can be recognized by a wide variety of people, create emotion & most importantly spark curiosity. with this one, we tested the water rat concept at mossy earth & it worked very well - so far this video is doing great for leave curious too - CTR is better when compared to other videos. as for the negativity around rats and that putting people off, I don't agree with it. much like wolves had been portrayed in the past as villains, I think it is wrong to villianise rats.

[@brianandrea3249]

It’s a very good point. Here in Australia, some time in the 90s the name of our native water rat was changed to an indigenous name - Rakali - and it seems that ever since, they have become much more revered. Fair enough too, they are magnificent.

[@sailingayoyo]

Ratty from Wind in the Willows is a water vole.

[@Andrew-cp9me]

Great information thank-you. We haven't had any tree talks for a while please could we have one 🌳

[@StopWhining491]

Love Mossy Earth projects!

[@JacquesTreehorn]

That is cool you found a way to repurpose Pringles cans. I have found they make an excellent koteka. Cheers!

[@devdeuce93]

Love the updates!

[@LucyWilliams-i3s]

Love this channel and being a member

[@jordansky]

I watched and gave a gift - felt like I did a little thing, I enjoy the positivity and videos.

[@BelovedfriendLSB]

thanks for letting us know not to attempt giving them dental inspections THANK YOU for looking after them

[@mitchl5220]

yellow flag iris seems to be incredibly dominant and kinda out of control in many ponds and riversides I see so it's interesting to hear that water voles used to help control these plants

[@MrNeilg71]

Wonderful, worthy work, and I doubt whether there are many people who can boast a Water Vole scar!

[@claytonleal7947]

love the followup so cool

[@LeaveCurious]

Yup :) nice when it works out

[@babylonsburning1]

Last time I saw a Water Vole was in the mid 80's, fishing on Corby's boating lake. It splashed intothe water right under my feet and swam across the lake. First and only time I seen one.

[@kjyost]

It is a progression. Higher yields per acre translates to fewer acres needed to feed everyone. And when the UK struggled to feed itself…

[@LeaveCurious]

Nothing is progressive if it’s not regenerative

[@juliaforsyth8332]

I think the UK could feed itself but the public expect too variety and have become spoilt. plus a lot is exported and there would be the income loss.

[@Blackadder75]

Most of the land is used to feed animals, not humans, and then we eat some of the animals, a very inefficient food chain. Look, I like my bacon and sausages as much as anybody, but it's just not sustainable. You can better make more greenhouses to produce lots of food on small acres and eat more fruits and plants. (I won't become a vegan though, I will take the middle route and eat less meat but not nothing.

[@oliverdavid602]

How in-vole-uble to the environment. You guys rule

[@LeaveCurious]

Good one!

[@peterpeterking1]

i would probably have agreed with them at the time (when i was young) but how silly.... it was the animal rights people who released the mink hey!!! There were loads of water voles on the River Derwent in Yorkshire when i was young, until the mink arrived.

[@markhepworth]

Same here down in Essex,the same silly people released an entire mink farm near Stansted,they’ve been decimating the wildlife around here since,I still see the old water vole holes in the banks of the river Chelmer here

[@Blackadder75]

Is this the species of 'the Wind in the Willows' Ratty?

[@kernowconservation5080]

Yes it is!

[@DailyQuiet]

Beautiful, just brilliant! Well done

[@colinharbinson8284]

I used to see them all the time when i was a lad, but then there were otters on the river i fished.

[@Shaden0040]

Well you know what they say no good deed goes unpunished.

[@thomas5942]

Amazing job! I love to help you guys with those of projects. But i cant because i life in the netherlands

[@christinecollins6389]

It’s lovely to see the populations recovering with a little TLC 🥰

[@someblokecalleddave1]

Where I used to go birdwatching in the 1970's, Water Voles used to be 10 a penny - all over the shop (West Tilbury marshes, Essex). With the Mink it's funny how you just say 'They got loose' without saying how... The majority of them were let loose by people who disagreed with them being bred for making mink coats and instead of going about things the right way they chose to raid the Mink farms and let the things free. Anyone at the time who actually cared about animals knew that the release of the Mink would have an impact. Once I started working I no longer went walking around the marshes, so as far I know, there may be loads of them still there? But I do recall as my birdwatching days come to an end I did start seeing Mink in the area. Other than that the farming practice in the area is very similar. I should go and have a look .

[@empty_akuma6577]

That's really awesome, great news that the efforts for the water voles are bearing fruit! My question is, are there any measures being taken to remove the mink from the british ecosystems? With my limited ecology knowledge, I could imagine that an increase in voles as prey, the mink numbers could also rise.

[@dicebar_]

That's what I was curious about as well. I imagine as the voles spread, eventually they'll run into mink territory. And once they do, won't the minks follow the food, spread into vole territory, and undo all this progress?

[@naerwyn239]

Thank you!!!!

[@slashingbison2503]

Keep Rewilinding people , and donate where you cant or simply leave your grass long if you cant donate!

[@michaelbird2857]

quick commen to support how i can :) keep up the great work, i love following the projects here on YT

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

lol and sympathy on the bite…I had a pet hamster who bit my finger to the bone…rodents can be bitey! Wonderful work. Congrats from the USA.

[@daniadejonghe4980]

It's Ratty!!! did you find his little boat, the Mole????

[@akhasshativeritsol1950]

Great to see this project's success so far! I am curious though, are there long term plans to deal with the mink? The fact that the introduction area was vole free implies that minks wiped out the original population and then left when the food dried up. What's to stop minks from re-invading the area now that their favorite food is back?

[@ryandoyle4344]

Great video, it had me researching water vole UK & muskrat. UK released voles b/c of US mink; US areas lost wild mink, booming muskrat population, causing a negative impact. Thus, crazy as it sounds, US trained mink to help control muskrat overpopulation. (Joseph Carter, the Mink man)

[@friendoftellus5741]

I hope your finger got well again !!! ❤😊🙏

[@IkeReviews]

Also coypu competes with the water vole as well thankfully they ate eradicated in the uk

[@lazyidiotofthemonth]

Its like a really small Muskrat, it makes sense the Mink would do so much damage a Muskrat is basically four times as large as a water vole.

[@LezlyBeetz]

Saw one of these whilst hiking along a river on Dartmoor, scared the life outta me

[@julianescobar2395]

congrats to you and mossy earth

[@B3NJMN89]

Cute little buggers glad you have them back

[@murderdoggg]

It may be necessary to leave a dead zone to separate recovering areas. Seems like once an area is wiped out, the invasive species seem to leave as well. Keeping them separated will give nature a chance to regain a few strongholds.

[@BeltandBraces]

since we joined the common market UK farmers, got subsidies not to produce certain foods because of Meat and Butter mountains that occur through over production and that change UK farming not the need for food

[@Chris-gr7ll]

Most of our farms have become agricultural factories, instead of a place that farms life for life.

[@teresahiggs4896]

That’s happened in the US as well. It’s Agribusiness and it’s criminal what Agribusiness has done to family farms and to so many of our animals and their habitats. .

[@Nphen]

@@teresahiggs4896 In America, millions of acres are wasted on ethanol for corn. There are millions of acres of lawns, parks, and cities that could be used to grow vegetables. Blame the Farm Bill and Monsanto/Bayer and they fund all the studies for all the agricultural schools. I want to build a refuge like the one in the video, but I fear they're band-aids on late stage capitalism. Hemp could help reduce pressure on millions of acres being over-farmed by cotton, corn, rice, soy. We need to get through to our local state ag colleges & communities.

[@stephenwright414]

So awesome. What kinds of animals and bugs has this project affected?

[@PeloquinDavid]

As a Canadian, I've never heard of water voles. They remind me a bit of muskrats here in North America (though voles look to be a lot smaller) who occupy something like the same ecological niche.