Living The Wildlife

The Red Deer, Bats and River Mussel (1x4)

Air date: Apr 22, 2008

Colin meets the bat population in Westport, tracks down Red Deer in Killarney and examines the decline of the river mussel. Out on the hills of Killarney National Park, Colin tracks down Red Deer during the species’ brief but fascinating rut, or mating season. Equipped with high frequency audio-detectors and plenty of flashlights, Colin and a group of young wildlife enthusiasts from Westport set off into the forest to meet the local bat population. Finally, Colin sets out to uncover an ecological travesty happening right under our noses – the decline of the river mussel – a species being poisoned out of existence by agri-pollution. He meets a small, but highly committed group of conservationists, who are attempting to save the mussels by breeding them in controlled conditions.