Water Vole live-trapping

This course is designed to be completed in parallel with the CIEEM Water Vole Mitigation course. Delegates should only book onto this course if:

• They also book on the Water Vole Mitigation course to be run in autumn of the same year; or
• They have completed the Water Vole Mitigation course in the past 12 months; or
• They can otherwise demonstrate sufficient existing knowledge of water vole mitigation, at the discretion of the trainer.

It will provide delegates with experience in choosing equipment and planning a trapping project, setting live-capture traps, trap checking, handling and sexing of animals, subsequent release and biosecurity measures.

Based entirely in the field, delivery of material will be via example and demonstration, with participants being guided through setting and checking their own traps, and thereafter handling captured animals*. It provides an opportunity for participants to bring questions regarding their own projects for discussion, so is ideal for those delegates who are planning or need to undertake their own trapping project for water voles.

*Note – handling of animals is at the discretion of the trainer and dependent on numbers caught.

• Understand differences in live-capture traps and when each are appropriate
• Plan a suitable trapping schedule, appropriate for the site and terrain
• Knowledge of suitable trap provisions
• Appreciate biosecurity measures required
• Experience setting traps for water voles
• Experience of checking traps for water voles
• Knowledge of handling and sexing water voles (it may also be possible for delegates to gain practical experience of handling animals, but this will be at the discretion of the trainer and is dependent on the number of animals captured).