The place that has wiped out grey squirrels

26 October 2015

The red squirrel has been in severe decline in the UK but one island has completely eliminated grey squirrels to promote a red resurgence. Could it lead to a wider programme of eradication, asks Rachel Argyle.

Once common, red squirrels have declined rapidly in the UK since the 1950s, falling in numbers from about 3.5 million, to a current estimated population of around 130,000.

Anglesey, an island off the north-west coast of Wales, declared itself a grey squirrel-free zone earlier this year after an 18-year cull.

Now, it's been announced that a share of £1.2m of Heritage Lottery Fund money will see the cull of grey squirrels extend to the neighbouring county of Gwynedd, where no native nutkins have been spotted for nearly 70 years.

Grey squirrels, said to have been brought to Britain from the US in the 19th Century, crossed the Menai Strait between Anglesey and mainland Wales in the mid-1960s. By 1998 the species had replaced the red squirrel almost completely, with only 40 red squirrels remaining.

It's long been believed that greys act as carriers of squirrel pox - which kills reds.

Read on …

Otter killed in illegal eel trap on Anglesey

Illegal trap appeal after otter found dead

October 2013. Natural Resources Wales officers are appealing for help to catch a poacher after an otter was found dead in an illegal trap placed on the River Cefni in Llangefni on Anglesey. The otter - a protected species under European law - was discovered by a passer-by in an unlicensed eel trap which had been discarded on the riverbank.

Natural Resources Wales environmental crime officers, working with North Wales Police, are urging anyone who saw anything suspicious in the area to report it confidentially by calling 0800 807060.

Drowned

Officers believe the fully grown otter became entangled in the net and drowned as it entered the trap in search of food.

Eryl Lloyd of Natural Resources Wales said, "This unlicensed trap was illegally placed and there was no guard in place to prevent the otter from getting inside.

"Apart from the callousness of then dumping the trap beside the river, we're keen to trace the perpetrator as this kind of illegal activity has an impact on fish stocks and has a serious effect on wildlife and the local economy."

Otters are an indicator of good water quality with their numbers on the increase in Welsh rivers.

Poaching carries a fine of up to £5,000 and / or six months imprisonment.

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/otter-trap.html

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.

Continued:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-west-wales-18831554