Today’s children are so out of touch with nature that just one in five will grow up to value it, conservationists have warned. Lara Lambert talks to one man whose daughters’ passion for everything wild is bucking the trend.

FIVE-year-old Lily Fuller is rarely at loss for words. Her father recounts the evening he took her to see badger cubs romping outside their sett.

“She managed five minutes of spellbound silence before the inevitable: ‘Come on Daddy, we’ve been AGES’.”

His daughter’s naturally chatty countenance is a source of joy to Robert Fuller, a wildlife artist from Thixendale who has made a point of sharing his love for nature with both his daughters, Lily, and Ruby, aged two.

As he sits at his easel putting the finishing touches to a painting of a tawny owl, the girls lie at his feet creating their own versions of owls in crayon. “Mine’s a little owl,” says Lily.

At a time of national despair at the growing gap between children and nature, Lily’s knowledge is rare. In fact both girls can identify Britain’s five native species of owl and Lily can pick out up to 50 different birds in the field, including puffins, kingfishers and gannets.

Conservationists are deeply worried that wildlife, which is already being lost at a dramatic rate, doesn’t stand a chance unless today’s children value it.

Research published by the RSPB in October claimed only 21 per cent of British children have a ‘realistic’ level of connection with nature. This followed a report by 25 UK wildlife organisations revealing that 60 per cent of native species are in decline.

There is now a UK-wide programme to entice ‘couch-potato’ children away from computer games and television and get them outside. The movement is challenging parents’ fear of perceived risks such as ‘stranger danger’ and germs.

Robert too has joined the campaign and in April will host a farm event in the grounds of his gallery. He hopes the family-farm day will give parents the chance to let their children stroke new-born lambs, piglets and ducklings and learn about wildlife.

Getting mucky is something Robert actively encourages and neither of his girls is squeamish about the natural world. “I once caught Lily swallowing down handfuls of frogspawn,” he says.

But then again it would be hard to avoid wild creatures in their home. Not only do paintings of fauna from all over the world hang on the walls, but the porch and outbuildings are nearly always occupied by a series of ‘pets’. Currently this comprises of two orphaned hedgehogs and an injured barn owl.

Lily and Ruby also rank among the few children who have stroked a wild badger and been within patting range of an elephant’s trunk.

“This year we are taking them to the Galapagos Islands. Lily is learning to snorkel in preparation – she practises in the bath.

“I hope that all these experiences will lead to a valuable and lasting bond with nature and wildlife. It’s certainly the best I can do to try to ensure that our natural heritage continues to be valued in the future.”

But even Robert, whose daily immersion in the countryside gives him an advantage over office-bound parents, feels the tensions of modern parenting.

“When I was young I spent all my time outside, roaming the fields, climbing trees, wading in mud. I had a little owl that I taught to ride on the handlebars of my bike.

“But I can’t see myself letting my girls out on their own if it means negotiating the road. It’s too busy and the cars go too fast,” he says.

“Also they are young and still delight in everything new. I don’t know how an evening watching badgers in a cold hide will compare when they are older and want to be on Facebook.”


Family Farm Day

Saturday, April 5,11am-4.30pm

Children can pet baby farm animals, try their hand at falconry or pony riding and, once thoroughly mucky, go inside and have a go at drawing from the pictures of wildlife on the walls at The Robert Fuller Gallery, Thixendale, North Yorkshire. Book via the web at robertefuller.com or by phone on 01759 368355.