Endangered crayfish arrive at Banham Zoo
It's part of a project to save white-clawed crayfish in the wild
Four rare white-clawed crayfish have been transferred to Banham Zoo as part of a breeding programme designed to help save the species.
The native species are facing extinction in Norfolk as they have low survival rates in the wild.
They face competition from invasive species, as well as the loss of habitat.
Banham Zoo and the Norfolk Rivers Trust hope to rear four young female crayfish in captivity and later aim to re-release them back into the wild.
All were caught in North Norfolk and are carrying eggs, which the team hope to hatch at Banham.
Banham Zoological Gardens was awarded a £95,300 grant from the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund last year to help boost the recovery of threatened species across the county.
Sarah Lee, Head of Conservation at ZSEA, said: “This project is so important for the conservation of these incredible freshwater invertebrates – their numbers are falling dramatically and we must take action.
"The Norfolk Rivers Trust are doing everything they can to protect and save our native crayfish, and through our vital partnership, we are committed to saving this keystone species from local extinction in Norfolk with our on-site hatchery.
"We are so grateful to the Green Recovery Challenge Fund grant for enabling us to build this hatchery and continue our commitment to vital conservation work.
“The crayfish are doing well and are settling into the hatchery. Once their eggs have hatched, the young crayfish will need to grow to a suitable size before release, so they stand the best chance of survival back in the wild.
"Once they have been health checked they will be released into safe ‘ark’ sites where new populations can be safely established.”