Rare ant nest stolen from last place in England where species survives

A rare narrow-headed ant colony, one of England’s most endangered species, has been stolen from its only known habitat in the country, setting back critical conservation efforts. The theft involved the removal of a nest containing thousands of the insects from a protected Devon nature reserve. Conservationists describe the act as reckless, warning it could undermine years of work to preserve the species. The incident highlights growing concerns over the poaching of endangered wildlife in the UK.

Devon nature reserve says ‘reckless’ theft of narrow-headed ant colony sets back years of conservation workA nest containing up to 5,000 of England’s rarest ant species has been stolen from a nature reserve, a conservation charity has said.Devon Wildlife Trust (DWT) said a nest of narrow-headed ants had been dug up and taken from Chudleigh Knighton Heath nature reserve in south Devon, which is the last place in England where the species still exists. Continue reading...