Kernow Conservation CIC has released around 100 water voles at a site near Stithians in south Cornwall.

The first release of the year took place on Tuesday, June 11.

It was funded by Rewilding Europe’s European Wildlife Comeback Fund, established to strengthen and connect previously released water vole populations in the River Kennall and Upper Cober catchment areas.

Water vole, one of Britain's most endangered mammals, went missing in the area from the 1990s until Kernow Conservation began reintroducing them in 2022.

Since then, this reintroduction project, coupled with ongoing monitoring for mink, is helping the water vole make a considerable comeback.

Water voles, essential to riverbank ecology, contribute by grazing about 227 plant species.

Their daily diet, equivalent to 80 per cent of their weight, enhances plant diversity.

Moreover, water voles serve a significant role in the food chain.

David Carrier, Kernow Conservation's founder and project leader, said, "We are delighted to be going ahead with our first release for 2024.

"This latest batch of water voles to the area will join together the populations from two of our previous releases and enable them to thrive in the region for many years to come."