NATURALISTS believe the foot-and-mouth outbreak which has hit the region's livestock will have little effect on wild animals.

So far, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Maff) has ruled out a cull of wild animals in affected areas such as Northumberland, County Durham and North Yorkshire for fear it may inadvertently spread the disease.

Apart from pigs, sheep and cattle, foot-and-mouth can affect squirrels, deer, hedgehogs and wild boar but, according to English Nature, is unlikely to have much impact on their populations.

Richard Wright, who is coordinating the organisation's response nationally, said: "The disease makes the animals ill but is not usually fatal. However, some already weakened animals which contract it may die for other reasons."

English Nature said that before this latest outbreak - the worst since 1967 -the disease had virtually been eradicated in the countryside, which seemed to suggest that wild animals were not spreading it.

Mr Wright acknowledged fears that animals such as hedgehogs, which are emerging from their hibernation, could spread the virus.

However, he said that said the foot-and-mouth virus liked cold and wet weather and there were hopes that the rising temperatures would kill it off.

His colleague, Andy Brown, the national director of English Nature said: "We appreciate the gravity of the situation.

"However, the fact that foot-and-mouth disease did not become endemic in the UK after the 1967 and 1981 outbreaks indicates that other wildlife are not good carriers and the disease actually dies out in the wild."

Mr Wright said attempts to control wild animals by culling could be counter-productive because it would introduce humans and dogs into the countryside, which risked spreading the disease.

He said that it was also virtually impossible to kill every wild animal, pointing out that even in small areas it was easy to overlook secretive creatures such as deer.

Mr Wright said: "The disease is virulent and can be spread by means such as people, vehicles, pets and the wind. Wild animals are a mechanical means of spreading foot-and-mouth, but is very difficult to control wildlife and there is a danger that to try would disperse it further."

English Nature said that a bigger concern was the threat to farming, which could result in the loss of grazing stock, which is crucial to the management of semi-natural grasslands, heaths and upland areas, all important wildlife habitats.

Read more about Foot-and-Mouth here.