NEWS of a dramatic rise in endangered species comes as no surprise for one Tendring wildlife worker.

In the new UK Biodiversity Action Plan, 1,149 types of wildlife are now on the list - including hedgehogs, grass snakes and sparrows for the first time.

This is twice the amount of ten years ago, when it was just 577.

Rosie Catford, who runs Wildlives Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Thorrington, said the effects are already tangible on a day-to-day basis.

"We usually get brood after brood of starlings around this time, because cats have killed their parents," she said.

"But we've hardly seen any - or sparrows or swifts.

"We haven't seen as many herring gull chicks as we usually get, either."

Ms Catford says she has also seen more sick hedgehogs this year, after they were affected by the warm winter.

"They were coming out of hibernation too early or not hibernating at all, and their immune systems took a whack," she said.

"Lots of them have been affected by lungworm, which makes them totally run down."

She says that man's intrusion onto nature has a large part to play in animals becoming endangered.

"Wildlife is getting pushed into smaller and smaller areas and coming into closer contact with humans," she said.

"Man is not prepared to take it - but we have got to learn to live with wildlife.

"We are changing their habitats but are not giving them anything in return."

Ms Catford added that there are simple steps that we can take to look after our animal friends.

They love nesting in bonfires and compost heaps - but things can sometimes turn nasty when they are set alight or speared with garden forks.

"We would just ask people to check there's no animals there before they do anything," she said.

"We've also had hedgehogs come in with all their legs cut off when people have been strimming their gardens - so please be careful."

More tips to ensure the safety of animals can be found at wildlives.org.uk