New Forest road safety campaign donkey killed by car

The foal's mother, Doll, is said to be mourning the loss of Jo-Jo and had to be "chased away" from the scene where she was killed

By Keith Perry

11:30PM GMT 05 Dec 2014

A white donkey foal that had been used to promote road safety in the New Forest has died after being knocked down by a car.

Jo-Jo was six months old and was well known among residents of Brockenhurst after she was born in the middle of the road.

The foal had taken part in a Drive Safe event at Brockenhurst College earlier this year - to raise awareness about the risks of hitting animals while driving at high speeds in the New Forest.

The car that killed her was being driven in a 30mph zone and a petition has been set up calling for a reduction in the speed limit.

Ponies, donkeys, cattle and pigs, owned by commoners, have roamed free in the forest for centuries. In 2013, there were 182 collisions involving livestock in the national park, resulting in 72 animal deaths.

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Future of New Forest National Park secured by huge grant

Aim is to make the forest more robust

November 2013. The future conservation of the New Forest National Park’s unique landscape, wildlife and heritage has been given a huge boost thanks to support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

A £2.9m HLF Landscape Partnership grant has been earmarked for the National Park to restore lost habitats, develop forest skills and inspire a new generation to champion the care for the New Forest.

The seven-year New Forest Landscape Partnership will be led by the New Forest National Park Authority and 10 key partners, who will contribute their own funding to increase the pot to £4.5m.

The aim is to make the forest more robust and able to withstand the modern-day pressures such as trends in agriculture, climate change and increasing demands from a growing population that is less connected to the countryside.

The New Forest is one of only two areas in the southeast to receive funding this year and only one of nine across the country. Covering just 569 square kilometres, the New Forest is the smallest national park in the UK, although more than 50% of this is accessible to the public, including 325km of Public Rights of Way.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/new-forest-future.html

Search for Britain’s only cicada finds rare wildlife, but no cicada

Close, but no Cicada

June 2013. Rare species of moth, bat and plant were discovered in the New Forest National Park during a 24-hour census of wildlife. Enthusiasts young and old were joined by a host of experts over the weekend in this year's BioBlitz, organised by the New Forest National Park Authority.

500 species recorded

There were more than 1,200 finds with about 500 different species surveyed including the rare and aptly named moth Scarce Merveille du Jour, and the Daubenton's bat which was recorded for the first time at Roydon Woods Nature Reserve near Brockenhurst. 

No Cicada

But there were no sign of the elusive New Forest cicada despite help from a new smartphone app developed by scientists at the University of Southampton. The rare singing insect is the UK's only native cicada and hasn't been seen since 1993, although some evidence of its presence was found in 2000. The 'Cicada Hunt' app was launched at the BioBlitz and can pick up the insect's distinctive mating calls which it sings from May to July. More than 200 people have already downloaded the free software since it was released on 3 June, but so far its songs haven't been heard.

Next month is the best time to search

Dr Alex Rogers, from the University's Faculty of Physical Sciences and Engineering, said: ‘The next month or so is the ideal time to search for the New Forest cicada. It likes warm, still, sunny weather, and is most likely to be found in sunny clearings, where it will sing for a few hours either side of midday.'

The cicada app is available now for both iPhone and Android smartphones on the iTunes and Google Play app stores. Search for ‘Cicada Hunt'. To find out more about the New Forest Cicada Project go to www.newforestcicada.info

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/cicada-new-forest.html