Case Study: The Adorable Red Squirrel

The Adorable Red Squirrel
A large red squirrel population has been living in the U.K. since the 1950s. Now these squirrels are having troubles and the country is doing its best with conservation effort to help this wonderful mammal to survive.

Adored by Many
Red squirrels are adored by people all over the U.K. and they make their home in lovely landscapes including mountain woodlands and urban gardens. For practically 10,000 years this squirrel has been a common mammal and part of the natural heritage of the U.K. As the red squirrel roams about the country this mammal has been inspiring creative people for centuries in art, literature and culture. Unfortunately the red squirrel populations have been falling in the U.K. and from about 3.5
Not everyone is against the native grey squirrel and they are welcome garden guests. However the grey squirrels do have a negative impact on the native red squirrels The unfortunate thing is that helping the red squirrel populations involves the humane capture and killing of grey squirrels since the interaction between these two squirrel species is known to be the primary cause of the decline of red squirrels in the U.K.

In order to help assess the impact of the challenging conservation work associated with red squirrels, grey squirrel management is being backed up by scientific monitoring and research. Other efforts are concentrating on the habitat of the red squirrel and attempts at designing and managing forests which would deter grey squirrels and encourage red squirrels. Buffer zones are being set-up around areas where red squirrels exist and there is continued monitoring and education. Another animal the pine martin has turned up and it has been observed that in the areas where this animal now roams there are fewer grey squirrels. This has led to the speculation that pine martens could act as a natural biological control and red squirrels will return and begin to flourish once again in these
They are located in three main areas in Clocaenog in Debigshire with as few as 50 animals, 300-350 red squirrels in mid-Wales with the most squirrels about 700 off the north-west coast on Anglesey Island. At one time there were only around 40 red squirrels on the island but now the population has risen to 700. It is thought that they will continue to thrive and that the island will remain “grey free”. The increase of the red squirrel population in Wales depends on the pine marten. Results are expected in around five years.
Red Squirrel Week

Presently it is Wild Trust’s annual Red Squirrel Week which runs from September 26 to October 4. The areas where people can view these red squirrels are Scotland, the Lake District and Northumberland. There are smaller and more isolated populations in Formby in Lancashire, on Brownsea Island in Dorset and on the Isle of Wight and of course those on Anglesey Island.

People who are living in or visiting the U.K. this week can expect to spot red squirrels in local woodlands, parks and perhaps a visit in their gardens. Signs that red squirrels are about are chewed nuts and conifer cones on the ground or the round stick nests which are also known as dreys, often found close to the trunk of mature trees. People can also keep an ear out for them as red squirrels make loud “chittering” noises when they are alarmed or giving signals