MANY of us would be pleased to hear the chances of being confronted by a reptile in Worcestershire have fallen.

But a fall in the number of adders, grass snakes and slow worms has prompted experts from the University of Worcester to launch a new research project hoping to find out what is behind it. Recent anecdotal evidence suggests an unusual potential cause for the falling numbers – pheasants released on nearby shooting estates.

And third-year Worcester student Rory Dimond, who is studying conservation ecology, will use the Malvern Hills as the basis for his investigation, under the supervision of Dr Duncan Westbury and Dr Mike Wheeler.

He hopes to determine whether there is a direct link between the pheasants and the decreasing number of reptiles.

Dr Westbury said: “The Malvern Hills provide an excellent habitat for our native reptiles, but conditions are also good for the pheasants that manage to survive the shooting season. “Around 35 million pheasants are released each year in the UK, and it is estimated that about 16 per cent of these survive the shooting season, and that figure suggests that pheasants could be having an impact on our reptiles.”

The project will see the team from the university work alongside Nigel Hand, a reptile ecologist at Central Ecology, as they analyse pheasant scat (faeces) for reptile DNA.

“If a link between pheasants and our native reptiles can be demonstrated, a more detailed study is planned,” Dr Westbury said.

“This will then investigate whether pheasants are actually having a negative impact on reptile populations.”

Dr Wheeler, senior lecturer in biochemistry and genetics, said technology would help determine the scale of the problem.

“The university has the facilities to undertake molecular studies of samples from the environment.

“Using similar techniques to those used in DNA fingerprinting, we can identify potential prey species of pheasants which will make an important contribution to understanding their ecology.”

The pilot project has enabled third-year student Mr Dimond to take part in cutting edge research as part of the ‘earn as you learn’ scheme.

He said: “As someone with a keen interest in reptile conservation, it’s exciting to be able to contribute to a real-life investigation into the impacts on their populations.

“The molecular ecology techniques I have been learning are fascinating and a great addition to what I have already gained from my course at the University of Worcester, particularly since the use of genetic analyses is growing in the field of ecological conservation.”