Public invited to appreciate red squirrels in Glenmore as part of special dedicated day
Forestry and Land Scotland is asking people to report grey squirrel sightings in the Highlands and across Scotland to help protect red squirrels from a deadly disease.
The appeal was made as part of Red Squirrel Appreciation Day on Tuesday.
Colin Edwards, Head of Environment with Forestry and Land Scotland, said: “Everyone loves red squirrels and would want to save them from the horrible effects of the squirrel pox, a disease that is carried by grey squirrels without affecting them but that is lethal for red squirrels.
“Lots of people find grey squirrels’ antics entertaining and attractive.
“But I’m sure they would agree that with no cure or treatment for the disease looking feasible, something has to be done to prevent the suffering of reds which are also displaced by grey squirrels due to their ability to outcompete reds for vital food resources and habitat.
“The only way to do this is to control grey squirrel populations to help reduce the spread of the disease.
“Because the disease is slowly traveling northwards into further red squirrel territory, difficult decisions have to be made if red squirrels are to enjoy a long-term future.”
All the research of the past 15 years has shown that there is no immunity to the disease in the general red squirrel population and that there is no likelihood of developing a deliverable vaccine.
Therefore in order to protect one species, control measures have to be put in place to restrict the spread or limit the population of the other.
Mr Edwards added: “The best way that people can help is to join a local red squirrel group, or report grey squirrel sightings across Scotland to the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) web page.”
FLS is a participating member of partnership project SSRS, funded by partners and the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund which promotes and coordinates strategic control measures in south Scotland, the Central Lowlands, and in Aberdeenshire.
This is best achieved through live trapping and humane dispatch.
FLS also creates ‘woodland oases’ that bridge gaps between known red squirrel hot-spots to help them increase their range across the whole of the north of Scotland.
