Water Voles Are Back in a Hertfordshire Chalk Stream — 40 Years After They Vanished

Harpenden Town Council has reintroduced 200 water voles to Batford Springs Local Nature Reserve in Hertfordshire, marking the first time the animals have been present there in 40 years. The three-year project involved creating new ponds, planting native vegetation, and monitoring mink numbers to ensure the site was safe for the voles to thrive. Water voles have been in serious decline across England due to habitat loss and predation by invasive mink.