"Ratty, where are you?!" Dave Salmon searches Cornwall's reedbeds in vain. Photo: Alex Howie		Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre Congratulations to Vic Simpson who recently opened the first Wildlife Veterinary Investigation Centre in the country. The OARP was delighted to be able to support this venture by donating an environmentally friendly freezer for his corpses. Vic is a leading light in otter conservation, having carried out more otter post-mortems than anyone else, nationally if not internationally. However, his skills and knowledge go further. Mark Nicholson and I (with the support of a huge number of people) nominated Vic for the national BBC Animal Awards* and we're delighted to say that he's got through to the finals. We will tell you more about this and Vic's work in the next edition of Wild Cornwall. In the meantime, good luck with your VIC, Vic! After officially opening Vic Simpson’s Wildlife VIC, Trust President Tony Stebbing presents Vic (right) with two fresh specimens: a pipistrelle bat and a stoat. Also pictured is Otters and Rivers Project Manager Kate Stokes. Photo: Bob Bridges
Reedbeds - Ratty’s last refuge?
The last confirmed sighting of the water vole in Cornwall was in 1998. When new research suggested reedbeds could be a last refuge for the water vole, we conducted a second county-wide search for this rare species. Last summer, Dave Salmon surveyed the 49 reedbeds listed in the Cornwall Biodiversity Action Plan.	As reedbeds are also nationally scarce, he did a health check of them too. However, the results are not encouraging. No signs of the water vole were found. Furthermore, our reedbed sites were reduced in size or even lost. We fear it could be too late for Ratty in Cornwall - but we will not give up hope!
*Stop press We have now heard that Vic Simpson won the Veterinary Award at the inaugural BBC Animal Awards, announced in December.

Thank you to the major sponsors of the OARP for making it so successful: