Dartmoor Zoo was approached by Ambios Ltd. about becoming a partner with them on a Black-Veined White Butterfly breed to release project, including other project partners such as Knepp Rewilding, Royal Holloway University and Butterfly Conservation.
The females arrived on Tuesday 23rd June and our role at Dartmoor Zoo is to provide a safety net site for rearing the adults. Their species name translates to “of the hawthorn” and within 10 minutes of arrival, one of the females laid a batch of eggs on the hawthorn within their habitat, so it was a delight to see this conservation project, in action.
Impregnated females are collected in Normandy each summer and imported under a Natural England Licence to be placed into a rearing habitat. The females then lay eggs which hatch late summer, with larvae staying small (4.2mm in length) semi-dormant on hawthorn plants until the following spring. They then enter an intensive growth phase before pupating and emerging as adults. A proportion of these adults will then be released into a designated release site in East Devon, again under Natural England Licence. The process then begins again with the next batch of impregnated females to ensure strong gene diversification, helping this species to thrive back in the UK.
CEO David Gibson commented: “Whilst Dartmoor Zoo is probably better known for conservation breeding of Threatened big cats such as Carpathian Lynx and Amur Leopard, we also know it is just as important to look after the smaller animals. The Black-Veined White Butterfly is an ideal example of how we can all help to conserve UK wildlife.
When we were approached by Ambios Ltd to partner with them, Knepp Rewilding and Royal Holloway University in the captive breeding and release of Black Veined White Butterflies, we were delighted to help.
This enigmatic species should still be fluttering around the hedgerows of Devon and as recently as 100 years ago they were part of our native biodiversity. Now this exciting breeding and reintroduction project will result in the beautiful and enigmatic butterflies being released into East Devon as soon as next summer.”
Black-Veined White Butterflies went extinct in the UK approximately 100 years ago. They were once resident across much of the UK, but it is speculated that with a change in farming practices after the first world war such as an intensification of farming, increase in use of pesticides and removal of many native hedgerows, the species died out.
With short dispersal flights at roughly 3-5 miles for a full-fledged adult, they lack the ability to jump the channel and would be extremely unlikely, without support such as projects like this, to re-colonise in the UK.
Ambios Ltd. Director Simon Roper commented: “The Black-Veined White Butterfly reintroduction project is a perfect fit for our non-profit organisation. It provides a practical real-world example which we can tell as part of our nature recovery training programmes. Working with Dartmoor Zoo and a network of organisations across the UK, we all intend to see this iconic, once native, species thriving in the hedgerows of Devon over the years to come.
As an organisation we are completely committed to nature recovery. Our work on the Sharpham Estate focuses on improving the skills of people who want to find jobs working with nature and species reintroduction. We’ve been training the next generation of wildlife professionals for the last 25-years.”
If you are able and willing, please donate towards more conservation projects like this, to help Dartmoor Zoo keep up the good fight!
Alternatively, you can purchase one of our ‘Name a Butterfly’ packs to directly support this project. You’ll receive a certificate (blank for your personalisation), some wildflower seeds and a butterfly print, reusable shopping bag. Please note, although you can visit the habitat on our site, there is no way to directly identify which butterfly you have named.
To find out more about Dartmoor Zoo visit www.dartmoorzoo.org.uk.