August 2011: Lancashire Wildlife Trust is urging the public to be vigilant after the deadly squirrel pox virus returned to the red squirrel stronghold on the Sefton coast.
Red squirrel conservation experts have made the call after the body of a red squirrel was found on Mossgiel Avenue in Ainsdale, Merseyside. Expert analysis carried out at the University of Liverpool has confirmed that the animal died of squirrel pox virus.
The discovery is a blow to efforts to help the population of red squirrels in Ainsdale and Formby recover after it was ravaged by the pox virus three years ago.
The Wildlife Trust's Conservation Officer for North Merseyside, Fiona Whitfield said: ‘This is the first case in 18 months and we're particularly concerned because it is very close to where the first outbreak occurred.
This is a real setback
‘Our red squirrel population had started to recover from the two devastating outbreaks in 2006 and 2008 and we were feeling positive about their future, so this finding is a setback.
‘We have had two more reports of sick squirrels and we want people to report any more sightings to us so we can act quickly to contain this.
‘We urge the public to report any sightings of sick or dead red squirrels or any grey squirrel in that area to redsquirrel@lancswt.org.uk or text or ring 07590 745862.'
Grey squirrels, which are immune to the virus, pass on the pox to reds, with usually fatal consequences for the red squirrel; the symptoms include lethargy, poor condition and ulcers and lesions around the eyes, mouth and nose.
The last bout of squirrel pox decimated the population which has clung on in the woods and gardens behind the sand dunes in the area - numbers crashed by 90 per cent. But the squirrels have since staged a remarkable recovery. Densities of reds look set to approach their pre-epidemic values within the next year or so, and there have been reports of reds spreading into the surrounding woods and countryside.
http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/squirrel-pox011.html#cr
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