Wednesday 18 July 2012

Anglesey red squirrels seen in town gardens, say experts


Red squirrel numbers on Anglesey have increased so much in recent years that townsfolk are now finding them in their back gardens, say conservationists.
They estimate the island now has up to 500 reds, up from 40 when a project to boost the population began in 1997.
People have sent the project photos and video of the woodland creatures they have seen in towns including Llanfegni and even in Bangor on the mainland.
Anglesey is one of only three areas in Wales with red squirrels.
Conservationists say the island has the largest recorded single population of reds in Wales.
Their numbers have risen following continuing culls of grey squirrels on the island as well as on the mainland side of the Menai Straits.
Red Squirrels Trust Wales says grey squirrels carry a virus deadly to reds and deprive the much more tree-dwelling reds of habitat by destroying areas of woodland.
Project manager and red squirrel biologist Dr Craig Shuttleworth, who works on Anglesey, said people on the island were aware that the red squirrels were the focus of an effort to ensure they thrived.

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