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When we think of endangered animals, the first creatures to pop into many people’s heads are tigers, elephants, polar bears and whales. The critical state of these beautiful and majestic beings are writ large in the public imagination.
However, the UK is also home to a great many weird and wonderful creatures that are now staring down the barrel of endangerment and extinction. This is a (non-exhaustive) list of ten of the country’s most iconic and most threatened species – and how wildlife charities and the public are fighting to preserve them.
Hedgehog
Though still regularly found rustling around in suburban backyards, the iconic hedgehog is struggling for survival. Almost a third of the national population has been lost since 2000, according to the People’s Trust for Endangered Animals.
Found all across the UK, with the exception of some Scottish Isles, the biggest threat to their existence is a loss of rural habitat and vehicle collisions.
These night-active mammals, who travel 1-2km each night, are in need of natural corridors, allowing them to cross roads and heavily built-up areas safely. Projects like Hedgehog Street are one of the few initiatives attempting to turn urban and suburban green spaces into hedgehog havens. They encourage a ‘highway for hedgehog’ scheme, where small holes or tunnels in garden fences can provide safe passage for the spine-covered creatures.
They also discourage the use of chemicals and weed killers in gardens and suggest creating a ‘wild corner’ for hedgehog visitors.
Red squirrel
In England and Wales, red squirrels are all but extinct. The invasive grey squirrel, first introduced in England as ‘living decorations’ for the gardens of stately homes in 1876, turned into a major antagonist for the smaller native species.
Larger in size and more aggressive, the North American grey squirrel species outcompeted their red-pelted relatives for food and local resources. They also attacked their neighbours and brought a disease called squirrel pox virus that decimated red squirrel populations.
As of 2023, there are only an estimated 140,000 red squirrels left, the majority of which live in Scotland, according to the ecology surveyors Arbtech.
‘The competition between red and grey squirrels is an unnatural, man-made problem that we have a responsibility to manage,’ Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels wrote in their mission statement. The wildlife organisation has reported some success in reintroducing red squirrels to parts of the country. But the operation hinges on managing grey squirrel populations and restoring suitable habitats – they emphasise that it is an ongoing battle.
Lesser spotted woodpecker
Follow the echo of a continuous drumming sound in the forest and you may just happen upon a woodpecker. If you’re really lucky, you may even see a lesser spotted woodpecker, a smaller version of the great spotted woodpecker with the same red-capped colouring.
But bird lovers will find this species ever harder to spot. Classified as ‘near-threatened’ on the IUCN Red List, they are one of the UK’s fastest declining avian species, according to the Woodland Trust. Less than 10,000 breeding pairs are left in the wild.
Threatened by foresting, agricultural and building developments, the woodpecker is vulnerable to a loss of habitat. The species is highly dependent on old-growth forests for nesting and foraging.
But ancient forests are rapidly declining in the UK. Shockingly, only seven per cent of our ancient woodlands are still in good health, according to Professor Mary Gagen of Swansea University. In an article for The Conversation, she explained that this ‘woeful picture’ is thanks to historic mismanagement of logging activities.
Other studies have also pointed to climate change, which is causing fundamental shifts in the delicate structure of forest ecosystems.
Protecting existing woodlands from deforestation and mitigating climate change are crucial to ensure the long-term recovery of the lesser spotted woodpecker.
Beaver
Eurasian beavers, once ubiquitous across the country, were hunted to extinction 400 years ago in the UK for their fur and meat. But the sustained efforts of conservationists and researchers are bringing the beaver back to Britain.
A number of reintroduction projects, such as the River Otter Beaver Trial introduced members of the Eurasian beaver transported from Europe into six enclosed sites in the UK. Where they are protected, the populations have flourished – and so too has the surrounding wildlife.
That’s because beavers are a keystone species, sometimes nicknamed ‘ecosystem engineers’. Their creation of dams and ‘beaver canals’ establish or restore complex wetland systems, supporting entire biodiverse ecosystems.
The creation of these ecosystems has even been shown to trap carbon, making them a natural ally in fighting the climate crisis.
While Scotland has encouraged the release of beavers into the wild, classifying the 250 or so members of the species within their borders as a native and protected species, England has been slow to follow suit.
In England, the second-largest rodent in the world, has legal protection from hunting and trapping. However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has been slow to greenlight a scheme agreed with National England to support the species’ release into the wild.
Water vole
The water vole was once a common sight along British waterways but is now Britain’s ‘fastest declining mammal’ according to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxon Wildlife Trust. This semi-aquatic rodent species lives along the edge of the river, building burrows in the banks and surviving on sedges and water plants.
But these habitats are under threat from water pollution and agricultural or building developments along the river. On top of this, the invasive American mink species is hunting the British water vole into oblivion.
Their population has declined by almost 90 per cent in the last two decades. And they’ve vanished from 94 per cent of rivers and lakes in the UK.
There are several ongoing conservation projects from national wildlife charities like the RSPB to individual initiatives like the London Water Vole Recovery. A crucial part of re-introducing water voles to riverbanks is the development of ‘riparian zones’, according to the Scottish forestry management. These are small borders of vegetation around rivers, lochs and lakes where the water-loving rodent can thrive.
Yet the key to protecting water voles in the long term may lie in a more holistic approach. In Cumbria, the reintroduction of beavers has paved the way for these smaller mammals to follow suit. In turn, the water voles have proven crucial to maintaining a greater biodiversity of riverside plants.
Jim Bliss, from the Lowther Estate in Cumbria, where beavers and water voles have been successfully returned to the area, said: ‘Beavers and water voles co-exist happily. The more dams created by beavers, the higher the water table. This, in turn, gives voles greater access to wider feeding areas. For their part, the voles help the growth of a variety of wetland plant species – species that have previously been out-competed by monoculture.’
Bats
Bats face an uncertain future in the UK. There are 17 species of bat known to reside in the UK, and four of them are risk of imminent extinction, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
The Bechstein’s bat was once an abundant inhabitant of prehistoric forests. Now, they are one of the UK’s rarest species, largely due to vanishing deciduous woodland.
As well as a loss of habitat, bats face frequent life-threatening challenges of attacks by free-roaming domestic cats and human-caused light pollution. Artificial lights can cause bats to delay feeding, as they usually emerge at sunset and become confused. Hunting the insects that gather around lights also leaves them more vulnerable to predators, while avoiding areas with light costs them more energy.
Protecting bat roosting sites from light pollution and creating naturally dark corridors between areas of bat activity (such as along waterways) is vital to ensuring the species survival. Wildlife organisations such as the Bat Conservation Trust are also increasingly working with developers to design bat-friendly architecture.
Turtle Dove
The turtle dove is immortalised in the world of poetry and art as a symbol of true love and fidelity. A favourite of Shakespeare and Chaucer and an inspiration to Anne Bronte, Carol Ann Duffy and Edgar Allan, the birds are known for pairing for life – with individuals even recorded mourning the deaths of their lovers for several years.
Despite their strong bonds and affectionate tendencies, the turtle dove population has declined by 97 per cent since the 1970s.
Like many of the other animals on this list, the doves are threatened by habitat loss. But one of the biggest challenges to their existence is a huge food shortage.
Turtle doves naturally feed on weed seeds in the countryside. However, a shortage in these seeds as a result of land use changes for agricultural endeavours have forced the doves to switch to cereal grains like wheat. Research has shown that this diet change has had a detrimental effect on the breeding and nesting habits of the species.
On top of this, the doves face threats from hunting and bird flu, so saving the species is no easy challenge. Operation Turtle Dove suggests monitoring the species and rewilding suitable breeding grounds are key to their survival.
Scottish wildcat
The Scottish wildcat is an elusive species which can now only be seen prowling the rugged landscapes of the Scottish highlands. The wild felines are similar to domestic cats, with bushy tails and a more robust build.
Ferocious and hardy hunters for their size, the Scottish wildcat is nonetheless in a dire existential predicament and classed as critically endangered. Only 115 to 315 members of the species are known to conservationists. As well as changes to their habitat, this is largely a result of cross-breeding with domestic cats.
A recent study by the University of Bristol and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland found that wildcats have been interbreeding with pet animals since the 1960s.
‘Not only are we at risk of losing a species from Britain,’ said Jo Howard-McCombe, who spearheaded the study. ‘We’re potentially replacing it with hybrid and feral domestic cats that may be not as well adapted and may not perform the same ecological role in their habitat’.
Despite existing in parallel for thousands of years (cats were first domesticated in Europe around 500 CE), it is likely the encroachment of human civilisation onto the Scottish wildcat habitat that has resulted in more interbreeding between the species in the last century.
Conservation efforts are underway, with an emphasis on the responsibility of domestic cat owners as well as habitat preservation. Captive breeding programmes are also being trialled by Saving Wildcats, who welcomed 22 wildcat kittens into the world in their first breeding season in 2022, who are set to be released into the wild before the end of this year.
Hazel dormouse
Characterised by their huge eyes, orange fur and unique furry tail, this creature’s cuteness, unfortunately, has not protected its population from decimation. The hazel dormouse population has declined by 75 per cent over the last 25 years, largely as a result of deforestation and agricultural expansion.
Dormice are nocturnal and spend much of their lives hibernating and sleeping – leaving them unguarded to changes in their environment. Classed as vulnerable, they are extinct in many UK counties and mainly found in Devon, Somerset, Sussex, Kent, parts of the Lake District, and select Welsh areas.
They mostly frequent deciduous forests and overgrown hedgerows, meaning that one of the most crucial steps in rescuing this species from extinction is protecting woodlands and hedgerows, and creating safe corridors between different habitats.
The Zoological Society of London has embarked on a project to reintroduce over 1000 dormice into areas of the UK where they have vanished.
Small tortoiseshell butterfly
The small tortoiseshell butterfly was once one of the most frequent visitors to British gardens. But in recent years, the species and over half of all butterfly species in the UK have faced a worrying decline in numbers.
Their decline is largely attributed to pesticide use and climate change, with erratic seasons disrupting their habitual life cycles. But many interlinking factors are at play, including habitat loss and a parasitic wasp species that preys on their caterpillars, injecting their eggs into the young creature that consumes their host from the inside.
Butterfly conservationists urge the public to plant nectar-rich flowers in gardens, on balconies, and ivy and shrubs for overwintering insects. Cutting out pesticides on an agricultural scale, encouraging wildflower meadows and mitigating climate change are more ambitious but necessary steps in combating the decline of this species.
