History How it all began...
Inspired by art
Vincent was a businessman, a highly accomplished naturalist and a philanthropist — and in combining these three elements, he became one of the most remarkable conservationists in Britain and Ireland. He was a shy man — few people will know that he established some of our most successful national wildlife charities; privately funded major conservation projects across Britain and Ireland over a period of more than forty years; and supported a generation of young scientists in their academic studies.
It was whilst a schoolboy in Malvern in Worcestershire that a painting by Sir Peter Scott ignited a spark — the painting was of a flock of mallards flying over a marsh and Vincent, knowing little about ornithology at the time, was hooked. It was the start of a voyage that established Vincent as one of the great pioneers in conservation.
The first mammal to become of real concern to Vincent as it came perilously close to extinction was the otter — for more than ten years from 1969, Vincent meticulously studied the slow and (at that time) mysterious decline of the otters in Norfolk and Suffolk, England..
In 1975, Vincent Weir founded Vincent Wildlife Trust with a plan to research the decline of the otter through the Trust’s Otter Haven Project. Injured and orphaned otters were rehabilitated and detailed research was carried out, including extensive radio-tracking studies and pollutant analysis. Vincent was also instrumental in the mass distribution of free net guards, designed to prevent otters from accidental drowning in eel nets. He also oversaw a series of national otter surveys from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s — a colossal (and expensive) undertaking.The Trust was responsible for the first all Ireland otter survey conducted in 1980/81. Since 2011 we have been working on other mammal species including the Irish stoat and the pine marten. Where a need is identified, the Trust will initiate a research programme that will support other bodies working to safeguard the future of all mammals in Ireland.
In the early 1980s, Vincent's concern about the plight of bats in Britain and Ireland led to a number of VWT research projects to identify the needs of rare bat species — including the first ever radio-tracking study of lesser horseshoe bats. It became clear that the widespread loss of roosting and breeding sites was driving the dramatic decline in the horseshoe bats. So from the 1980s through to the 2000s, again at great personal expense, Vincent purchased a number of important breeding and hibernation sites for rare bats. VWT now manages 37 bat roosts in Britain and Ireland, and will continue to do so in perpetuity, thanks to the generosity of Vincent’s endowments which were, with characteristic vision and attention to detail, secured long before his death.
Mammal conservation work in Ireland
VWT in Ireland focuses on:
- creating and managing reserves for the lesser horseshoe bat;
- coordinating summer and winter surveys of the lesser horseshoe bat throughout its range;
- promoting mammal conservation and research through lectures, walks, articles, radio and television;
- offering bat related advice to the general public, local authorities, consultants and professional groups;
- offering advice to the general public on the Irish stoat and pine marten.
