Kerry a haven for many rare species

EVERYONE has heard of the Irish red deer that grace Killarney National Park, not to mention eagles and dolphins, but Kerry also has many other rare and threatened species of animal and plant life.

People like Department of Marine official Kevin Flannery, from Dingle, regularly identify some strange fish caught off the coast, but some unusual fish can also be found inland in Kerry.

The county boasts, for instance, some interesting species of brown trout and rare fish, such as the Arctic char and the Killarney shad.

It has been said that, as a county on the south-western tip of Ireland, Kerry forms the last refuge for many species and landscapes. With a climate of cool summers, high rainfall and mild winters, many sub-tropical species can be seen there.

The heritage department of Kerry County Council has published an attractive booklet, titled Special Species of County Kerry, which is worthy of a place in every school classroom and on the bookshelves of nature lovers.

Its 54 illustrated pages contain a wealth of information from experts writing about subjects ranging from the Kerry lily, found only in a 20km square area around Derrynane, to the natterjack toad which lives in habitats in the Castlegregory and Dooks areas.

There are only a few hundred adult toads which are seen nowhere else in Ireland, except in Ravens Reserve, Co Wexford, where a small population has been established using toads taken from Kerry.

Some interesting research has been carried out in recent years into brown trout in Kerry lakes and rivers.

Traditionally, scientists looked on all brown trout as being the same species, with variations in colour, shape and behaviour brought about by the environments in which they lived.

However, researcher Dr Fran Igoe, of the Irish Char Conservation Group, says they have found immense genetic differences in the brown trout population. “This is particularly true in counties such as Kerry where many populations have not been tampered with genetically and some still live in areas relatively free from environmental damage,” he points out.

What he describes as a very interesting population of brown trout exists in a lake at Lauragh, in the Kenmare area.

This lake is located high up on a hillside where access for migratory trout is impossible, thus ensuring the genetic purity of this particular fish.

According to Dr Igoe, this trout goes through the same smelting process as salmon, or sea trout, becoming very silvery and with scales loose to touch. It had been thought that the Lauragh trout was a land-locked Atlantic salmon, but research has found that not to be the case.

The Arctic char, which has a history dating the Ice Age, is similar in appearance to the brown trout and is found in several lakes in Co Kerry, which is believed to have 16% of its national population. Char need good, clean water to survive.

Also interesting is the Killarney shad, or “goureen”, found only in Lough Lein, Killarney.

Dr Igoe notes that the only other European populations are in the lakes of northern Italy. Occasionally, shad are caught in Killarney by anglers using spinning lures, but more research is called for if we are to understand the role of this unique species in the lake and help conserve it.

Visitors to Killarney National Park always seem fascinated by the native Red Deer, but locals don’t take that much notice any more. Little wonder since the deer have been in the area for thousands of years.

Another reason why locals often don’t take a second look is that the deer have become quite numerous and are frequently seen outside the bounds of the park.

It is estimated there are at least 600 Red Deer in the park and the herd seems to be increasing all the time.

Normally silent animals, they will soon be heard very clearly, with the call of the stags echoing through the hills and valleys during the October rutting (mating) season.

Finally, a word about dolphins which are among the most people-friendly mammals, with Fungi, the internationally-celebrated and playful Dingle dolphin, being the most obvious proof of that.

An industry has been built around Fungi but, at all times, people must recognise that dolphins are wild animals, according to Dr Simon Berrow, of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group.

Since the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus, when a young boy was reportedly saved from drowning by a dolphin, there have been incidents of wild dolphins befriending people.

Dr Berrow says males appear to be more aggressive and cautions: “However, what we may consider an aggressive act may be play to a dolphin. They are marine mammals, we are land mammals! Recognising that dolphins are wild, unpredictable animals, which should be respected in their own environment, is important if these encounters are to remain trouble free for dolphin and human.”