A animal welfare charity has warned of the “significant risk” to wildlife after a spate of ‘deliberate’ heath fires at a Poole nature reserve.
The fire service were called to five fires in three days last week at Bourne Valley Nature Reserve.
It said that it was working with Dorset Police, as it was believed that the fires were ‘deliberate’.
Emergency services were back on the scene over the bank holiday weekend to tackle an incident need the skate park.
The RSPCA said that heath fires result in the death of animals which are unable to escape the flames.
“Unfortunately, deliberate fires can pose a great risk to the welfare of wild animals, particularly species that will struggle to get away in time such as hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians,” a spokesperson for the charity said.
“Fire not only kills wildlife but will also displace surviving animals from their territory, creating problems such as territorial disputes when they move on to new areas.
“Species that live in dens, burrows and warrens can become trapped by the flames and smoke and suffocate.”
It said now is a “particularly bad time of year”, with animals being born and still developing, meaning they are unable to escape fires.
The spokesperson added: “Nestling and fledgling birds and juvenile bats will be at significant risk as they will not be able to fly away and may become trapped in burning trees.
“Juvenile deer stay hidden in grass until they can keep up with their mother and so will also be in danger from these kinds of fire.”
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service group manager Wayne Jones said: “We have now been called to over 20 fires within Bourne Valley over the last three weeks and believe the majority could have been deliberate or avoided had people taken more care.
“We support Dorset Police with their ongoing enquiries into these fires and urge anyone who sees anything suspicious on the heath or in our beautiful open spaces to report it to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
