Possible newt

[WildlifeFan10]

Please could someone advise me if this is a newt i have post a picture in the Gallery it is just waiting to be approved if so what should i do with it as it was in my door way this morning.

[WildlifeFan10]

Here is the pic

[Dogghound]

This is a female great crested newt. They are heavily protected and you need a license to handle them. I would advise that you put it back where you found it to avoid getting into trouble.

[RED]

I'm no expert but it appears to be a sub-adult Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus)
a protected species under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Meaning it is an offence to:

* Intentionally kill, injure or take a Great Crested Newt
* Possess or control any live or dead specimen or anything derived from a Great Crested Newt
* Intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any structure or place used for shelter or protection by a Great Crested Newt (in practice this means both its breeding sites, and its terrestrial habitat)
* Intentionally or recklessly disturb a Great Crested Newt while it is occupying a structure or place which it uses for that purpose.

[Melus]

If I was you I would contact your local Wildlife Trust tell them you think you may have a Great Crested Newt and tell them the circunstances. They will then have a record of its location for their records and will be able to advise you what do do with the Newt overwinter. By rights they should send a person who holds the relevant licence round to deal with the newt.
It shouldn't really be out this weather and will need to be placed somewhere frost free and damp. Please don't put it in a pond.

Regards
gary

[Dogghound]

Good advice Gary I completely forgot to mention what to do with it.

[Melus]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

Good advice Gary I completely forgot to mention what to do with it.

Not a problem.

I obtained my GCN licence through the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS). For peoples info, the scheme is well worth taking part in. All I had to do was complete one days training to receive my licence. I know some purists will frown upon this fact, but I was well on the way to obtaining my licence prior to the course. I also received training through Uni and when I worked for an ecological firm.

Regards
Gary

[Gue Jam Fowsid]

Definately looks like a cresty to me. That yellow/orange stripe on the base of the tail is typical of the female. What a beauty.

[neldadog]

Originally Posted by Dogghound

This is a female great crested newt. They are heavily protected and you need a license to handle them. I would advise that you put it back where you found it to avoid getting into trouble.

Hello wildlife fan,

You have every right to move the newt to a safe place as long as you release it straight away. This is a defence under the Habitat Regulations 1994, the primary act of legislation protecting this European Protected Species (the Wildlife and Countryside Act coming secondary):

Notwithstanding anything in regulation 39, a person shall not be guilty of an offence by reason of-
(a) the taking of a wild animal of a European protected species if he shows that the animal had been disabled otherwise than by his unlawful act and was taken solely for the purpose of tending it and releasing it when no longer disabled

Where a protected species is in distress or has the potential to be harmed, it makes perfect sense that you move it out of distress to a safe place. You can then call a suitably licensed person to come and collect it if the animal is injured and needs to be tendered.

You will find that if you call the RSPCA about a protected species the first thing they do is threaten you with the law. This has happened to several people I know. The Wildlife Trusts are also guilty for it.

A safe place to put the newt would be in the corner of you garden where the newt can bury itself under rocks, tree roots or vegetation etc. As someone said before, DON’T put it in a pond!

Newts don’t generally come out of hibernation till late Feb early March, weather depending. It is possible that the newt has been disturbed from its hibernacula or it is a bit confused after the recent cold snap now the weather has warmed up.

It is well worth letting the Wildlife Trust's or your local Biological Records Office (operated by the local council) know where and when you found the newt (if they threaten you with the law quote the above!).

[Dogghound]

My post was short and basic i wasnt implying you will get shot if you handle them just putting across a basic point.