MAMMALS UNDER THREAT With many species teetering on the brink of extinction, we look at what we can do to help save them

With an unprecedented number of species – including some of our best-loved mammals – teetering on the brink of extinction, we look at what we can do to save them

There is some good news in this sad tale. What many creatures, including the Large Blue butterfly (once pronounced extinct and now found in its thousands in Somerset and Gloucestershire) show us is that the demise of endangered species is not always inevitable. This is the message that naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham wants to convey with his campaign to implement a People’s Manifesto, calling for an end to the ‘war on wildlife’. He kicked off the project at the end of last year with a march on Downing Street, and is now urging the Government to pass measures today that could make a huge difference to wildlife tomorrow. He is not alone in his plea. Countless other organisations, from the British Hedgehog Preservation Society’s Hedgehog Street campaign to Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, run by The Scottish Wildlife Trust, are sending the same message – if we would like these animals to survive, it’s up to us to take action. Here, we focus on four species that need your help.