North-east squirrel spotters to take note as reds fight back

by Emma Morrice

 18/05/2019, 12:34 pm

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels encourages more people to log sightings of red and grey squirrels across the country.

NEW data shows an invasive species of squirrel has almost been eradicated in the north-east thanks to the work of a charity and members of the public.

During the past 10-15 years the number of non-native, invasive grey species has reduced.

They are only being spotted in Aberdeen city now, as opposed to the wider region.

Grey squirrels push the native red species out, taking over their habitats and food.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels encourages more people to log sightings of red and grey squirrels across the country to promote awareness.

In Scotland more than 2,100 animals have already been added to the website.

Last year, 8,393 were tallied, compared with 5,311 in 2017.

In the north-east there has been a huge reduction in grey squirrels, which has allowed the red ones to thrive.

Since the start of the year more than 120 squirrels in Aberdeen City have been added to the map, with the majority of these red, and many more have been logged across Aberdeenshire.

Many have been spotted in Hazlehead Park, near the crematorium, and at Seaton Park. Remaining greys have been seen along the River Don.

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Feeding red squirrels peanuts may make natural diet a tough nut to crack

APRIL 1, 2019

by Shelley Hughes, University of York

New research suggests a population of red squirrels on the Lancashire coast may have developed weaker bites after snacking on peanuts.

The researchers suggest that the changes in bite strength of the squirrels in Formby could have been brought about by their softer diets, reducing their ability to gnaw through the tough-to-crack nuts they eat naturally – such as pine cone seeds, hazelnuts and beech nuts.

The findings have important implications for conservation efforts for red squirrels, which were once widespread across mainland Britain. They have suffered severe population decline from the 1920s onwards due to a loss of woodland as well as viruses and competition from grey squirrels.

Bite force

The researchers, from the University of York and National Museums Scotland, compared the lower jaws of red squirrels from surviving population pockets in the UK (which are mainly in northern areas and on offshore islands) as well as a sample from central Europe.

Their analysis has indicated that Formby squirrels, which are managed by the National Trust and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, appear to have a less efficient temporalis muscle than all the other red squirrel populations. In rodents this muscle is used for rapid closing of the jaws to generate a powerful bite force.

Dr. Philip Cox from the Department of Archaeology and the Hull York Medical School at the University of York, said: "We found that the shape and function of the lower jaws of the Formby squirrels were different from all of the other red squirrel populations we looked at.

"They are the only group of red squirrels in the study that were given supplementary food and it is possible that the changes to their jaws have been brought about by diet.

"Many mammals- and especially rodents- have the capacity to evolve at very fast rates under changing environmental conditions. The changes to the gnawing ability of Formby squirrels could be an evolutionary response which has occurred over a few generations of squirrels or it could be an adaptive response which occurs over the lifetime of individual squirrels exposed to supplementary feeding."

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Red squirrels 'may have introduced' leprosy to Britain

11 May 2018

Red squirrels may have brought leprosy to Britain more than 1,000 years ago, scientists have said.

Swiss researchers said DNA taken from a fifth-century victim of the disease in Essex revealed the same strain of leprosy carried by red squirrels today.

The discovery supports the theory that the rodents, once prized for their meat and fur, played a role in the spread of the disease throughout medieval Europe.

Grey squirrels were not introduced to the UK until the 19th Century.

Scientists at the University of Zurich took samples of leprosy DNA from 90 Europeans with skeletal deformations characteristic of the disease from AD400 to AD1,400.

From the fragments they reconstructed 10 new genomes - complete genetic codes - of medieval Mycobacterium leprae, the bug that causes leprosy.

One was from Great Chesterford, Essex, and dated to between AD415 and AD545. It was this leprosy genome, the oldest yet constructed, that contained the red squirrel clue.

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Return of pine martens could save Britain's red squirrels, say scientists

Areas with growing pine marten populations have seen grey squirrel numbers fall as they provide easy prey for the predators – unlike native reds, a new study shows

Damian CarringtonEnvironment editor

Wed 7 Mar 2018 06.01 GMT

The invasion of grey squirrels that has decimated native reds across the UK is reversed when pine martens prowl the woods, new research has shown. Unlike reds, grey squirrels appear to be easy meat for the predator.

Pine marten populations have also been drastically reduced in the past. But where they are recovering, they send grey squirrel numbers plummeting while reds thrive, according to scientists.

The spread of pine martens from their Scottish stronghold into England is the best long-term solution to controlling grey squirrels, said Emma Sheehy at the University of Aberdeen, who led the work: “It should be all that you need. But it may be some time getting to that place.” As a result, she said it would be foolish to stop current control programmes now.

There were once 3.5 million red squirrels across the UK, but the introduction of “ornamental” grey squirrels from the US in the 1870s has left just 250,000 reds, mostly in Scotland. The larger greys carry a pox disease which is deadly to reds, and also outcompete their smaller cousins.

Pine martens have also suffered, having been killed for their fur and as predators of poultry and game birds, and are essentially extinct in England. They only gained legal protection in the 1980s but there are now a few thousand in Scotland.

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Scotland's red squirrel numbers stabilise

Red squirrels have seen a surge in numbers in Scotland's north east and have stabilised nationwide, according to conservation researchers.

Results from Scotland's Red Squirrels 2017 survey show that their population has stopped shrinking across the country.

The most positive results reveal that there has been a "significant" boost in numbers around Aberdeen.

Red squirrels are also starting to appear in previously abandoned areas.

Conservation officer Mary-Anne Collis said: "In the central lowlands, red squirrels are holding their ground and as a result we've started to see them in areas where they haven't been seen for a long time.

"This is particularly noticeable to the south and east of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, which is now predominantly a red-only zone.

"If it wasn't for our fantastic volunteers that brave the unpredictable spring weather to help us with these surveys then we wouldn't be able to see the positive impact that our conservation work is having."

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Relocated squirrels moving to new areas, says charity

6 November 2017

Red squirrels relocated to woodlands in the north west Highlands are "flourishing and breeding", according to a conservation charity.

More than 80 squirrels were trapped in other parts of the Highlands in phases of the project led by Findhorn-based Trees for Life.

The animals were released in areas that had no squirrels, including Shieldaig.

Tree for Life said many of the squirrels were not only breeding but also spreading to other new areas.

Becky Priestley, the charity's wildlife officer, said: "Early indications are that this could be a real wildlife success story.

"The new squirrel populations are not only flourishing and breeding in their new homes, they are also starting to spread out into new areas - with squirrels being sighted as far as 15km away."

The project's initial relocations took place between the springs of 2016 and 2017, with the first 33 squirrels from near Inverness and also in Moray released at Shieldaig in Wester Ross.

This was followed by 22 more released at the Coulin Estate next to Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve near Kinlochewe.

Thirty squirrels were also released at Plockton, in Lochalsh, where the landowners include The National Trust for Scotland.

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Red squirrels: 5,000 volunteers sought to save species – and help kill invasive greys

Wildlife Trusts’ biggest-ever recruitment drive will see volunteers monitor populations, educate children – and bludgeon grey squirrels to death

Patrick Barkham

Friday 24 February 2017 06.01 GMT 

An army of 5,000 volunteers is being sought to save the red squirrel from extinction by monitoring populations, educating children – and bludgeoning grey squirrels to death.

The Wildlife Trusts’ biggest-ever recruitment drive is focused on areas of northern England, north Wales and Northern Ireland where invasive grey squirrels first introduced by the Victorians are driving the retreating red squirrel population to extinction.

More than 2.5 million grey squirrels are continuing to spread north through England and into Scotland, out-competing the 140,000 remaining red squirrels and spreading the squirrelpox virus, which does not affect greys but rapidly kills reds. 

“In most of the UK there are only a handful of refuges left for red squirrels,” said Dr Cathleen Thomas, programme manager of Red Squirrel United, a conservation partnership started in 2015. “Without help, experts predict this beautiful and treasured creature could be extinct within as little as 35 years.”

Volunteers for Red Squirrel United will be asked to monitor red squirrel strongholds in Northumberland, Merseyside, Wales and Northern Ireland, and report any grey squirrels entering these areas. Volunteers will set up camera traps to film squirrel behaviour and teach the public and school children about the way in which greys have rapidly driven the reds to extinction across southern Britain since 1945.

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Leprosy revealed in red squirrels across British Isles

Scientists believe the animals have been infected with the disfiguring disease for centuries and pose little risk to humans today
Damian Carrington

Thursday 10 November 2016 19.00 GMT Last modified on Thursday 10 November 2016 22.00 GMT

Leprosy has been found in red squirrels across the British Isles and scientists believe they have been infected with the disfiguring disease for centuries.

The endangered animals carry the same bacteria that cause the human disease, research has revealed. This results in lesions on their muzzles, ears and paws, adding to the sharp decline in their numbers caused by invading grey squirrels, which appear immune to the disease.

It is possible that humans have caught leprosy from red squirrels in the past, as their fur and meat was once prized. But the last case of leprosy contracted in the UK was in 1798, indicating the risk is now extremely low.

“We should be even more concerned about the squirrels now and not frightened of them,” said Prof Anna Meredith, at the University of Edinburgh and one of the leaders of the new study. “We have found it is widespread all over the UK and Ireland, but we don’t want people to be alarmed. It has been around a long time and there have been no human cases for hundreds of years.”



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Red squirrels to benefit from a £1.2m National Lottery grant

A new project to help secure the future of the UK’s native red squirrel has been launched, thanks to a £1.2 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).

Called Red Squirrels United, it is a new four-year programme that brings together eight partners from across the UK. The project will deliver key national conservation objectives with the aim of protecting red squirrels through communication, education and conservation activities. It is supported by Government nature conservation agencies and the 32 organisations within the UK squirrel accord group.

Community-based rapid response teams will be created involving 1,250 volunteers who will be trained to conserve key red squirrel populations threatened by their interaction with non-native grey squirrels. These volunteers will be supported by partner organisation staff, building the large networks of red squirrel champions essential for conservation success.

Partners will maintain grey squirrel-free habitat where it already exists, for example on the island of Anglesey and in Kielder Forest in northern England; extend current red squirrel protection zones in mid-Wales and Merseyside and implement a new whole country approach in Northern Ireland. All conservation work will be rigorously monitored contributing to robust scientific research and evaluation to be undertaken by academic partners.

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Major push to save Scottish Red Squirrels from extinction

Five charitable, government and landowning bodies in Scotland have united in a bid to secure the future of the iconic Red Squirrel.

It is the UK’s only native squirrel and numbers have declined rapidly since the introduction of Grey Squirrels from North America in the 19th Century.

Since 1952, 95 per cent of Reds in England and Wales have been wiped out, and today 75 per cent of the UK’s remaining population is found in Scotland.

However, Greys still threaten the existence of the native Reds because they transmit the deadly squirrelpox virus, although they are largely immune. 

The project aims to continue to prevent the spread northwards of Grey Squirrels and squirrelpox via a programme of squirrel control in a zone running coast to coast along the Highland Boundary Fault.

It will also define and map priority areas for Red Squirrel conservation in south Scotland, and co-ordinate the control required of the Greys to sustain a healthy red population.

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'Squirrel Nutkin' fights back in battle against grey rivals

Red squirrels - popularly illustrated in Beatrix Potter books - return to Windermere in Lake District after 16-year absence as they fight back in ongoing war against greys

By Agency

2:54PM BST 05 Apr 2015

Red squirrels are battling back in the war against their grey rivals - after finally returning to one of Britain's most stunning beauty spots.

Native reds have been almost wiped out except for a few pockets in the north of England, the Isle of Wight and Scotland after greys arrived from America in the 19th century.

Numbers of the reds - popularly illustrated in the Beatrix Potter Squirrel Nutkin books - have been dwindling, mainly thanks to the greys' squirrel pox virus.

But now after a 16 year absence, red squirrels have been spotted in Windermere, in the picturesque Lake District.

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Red squirrels being killed by form of leprosy in Scotland in latest threat to declining species

LIZZIE DEARDEN

Friday 29 August 2014

Red squirrels in Scotland are being killed by a form of leprosy that makes them lose their fur and die after causing painful swelling to their noses, ears and feet.

The new infection is the latest threat to the rare animals that have been in decline for years due to competition from invasive grey squirrels and the deadly “squirrelpox” virus.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have discovered six cases caused by bacteria similar to Mycobacterium lepromatosis, which causes leprosy, since 2006.

Little is known about how the disease spreads and it has never before been seen in red squirrels.

Professor Anna Meredith, from Edinburgh’s Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, urged members of the public to report sightings of infected animals.

“We suspect this disease is more widespread than the six cases we have confirmed,” she told the BBC.

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Prince Charles backs plan to kill grey squirrels

Government, forestry officials and conservationists agree 'squirrel accord' to protect UK's native reds

Adam Vaughan

The Guardian, Thursday 8 May 2014 17.02 BST

Prince Charles has backed plans to kill grey squirrels to protect the UK's "much-loved" native reds.

Under a "squirrel accord" agreed at Dumfries House, the prince's stately home in Scotland, government, forestry officials and some conservationists agreed to undertake a renewed push to reduce grey numbers "through targeted and sustained action".

Owen Paterson, the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs, told the meeting: "Red squirrels are a much-loved, but threatened, part of British wildlife. I fully support this accord and endorse the need to work together to revive our iconic red squirrel population, and encourage the planting of new broadleaved woodlands."

There are around 5 million greys in the UK, with numbers of reds estimated at 120,000-140,000 – 75% of which are in Scotland. Reds have decreased massively in number since a Victorian banker introduced a pair of greys after returning from a business trip in America. Greys carry a poxvirus that is deadly to reds, and are stronger and larger too.

Prince Charles's attack on grey squirrels is nostalgia posing as environmentalism

He says he has the red squirrels at heart, but Charles may have more personal and political motivations for his bloodlust

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Oscar Rickett

theguardian.com, Friday 9 May 2014 17.05 BST

Charles may not be king, but he is the reigning monarch of nostalgia. The Prince of Wales is the champion of a time that never was, and which passed before he was born. Signing a "squirrel accord" after meetings at one of his stately homes, the prince reaffirmed his desire to drive grey squirrels out of the UK in order to save our "much loved" native red squirrels. If the term "squirrel accord" has you thinking of a bunch of woodland creatures walking around wearing stovepipe hats and discussing what to do about this autumn's chestnut shortage, then banish the thought and replace it with a vision of members of the royal family and government officials talking about how many cages they would need in order to undertake "targeted and sustained action" against grey squirrels.

While there are a couple of environmental reasons for wishing to enact this animal massacre – grey squirrels strip bark from trees and carry a poxvirus that is deadly to red squirrels – the motivations are more personal and political. In 1876, the British banker Thomas Brocklehurst brought back a pair of grey squirrels from America and released them on to his land. Brocklehurst was obviously quite the hip cat, because in no time grey squirrels became the must-have garden accessory of late-Victorian England and now there are close to 5 million of them in the UK. The most important point of this story is that it has happened and it cannot be undone. Just like Pandora, Brocklehurst opened his box; it's just that instead of it containing all the evils of the world, it contained two grey squirrels.

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Merseyside red squirrels show signs of pox resistance

Red squirrels at a National Trust reserve in Merseyside have shown signs of resistance to the pox virus that has blighted the species, say researchers.

Scientists from the University of Liverpool have studied the squirrels at the Formby site for four years.

They found that 10% of its squirrels had pox antibodies in their blood.

Read on and watch video ...

RNAS Culdrose helicopter flies red squirrels to Tresco

Twenty red squirrels have been flown over to Tresco on the Isles of Scilly to boost a breeding experiment.

Five of the rare endangered native mammals were introduced last year, but only two survived.

The new colony of squirrels from the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey, was flown over by a helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall.

Mike Nelhams of Tresco Abbey Gardens said the colony could start breeding as early as next year.

"Tresco is an ideal place for these very cute little animals," he told BBC News.

"We have a lovely woodland for them, there are no natural predators and with no grey squirrels, they are safe from squirrel pox."

The native red squirrel population has been decimated by squirrel pox [parapoxvirus], which is carried by the grey squirrels that were introduced in the UK in the late 19th Century.

Grey squirrels have built up a natural immunity to the virus, but it is fatal to red squirrels, which are now extinct in many parts of Great Britain.

According to the Forestry Commission there are about 140,000 red squirrels left in the wild, compared with more than two million greys.

Mr Nelhams said the idea of introducing red squirrels, mooted by Daily Telegraph wildlife columnist Robin Page, has been supported by Prince Charles and Tresco's owner Robert Dorrien-Smith.

The Prince of Wales is the patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST).

The new arrivals "hitched a ride" on a Royal Navy search-and-rescue helicopter during a routine training exercise.

"We have the heliport here and as it's not unknown for the Culdrose helicopters to touch down here. We held off getting the squirrels until it coincided with a training exercise to test equipment," Mr Nelhams said.

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How Red Squirrels Are Like Tiger Moms

Megan Gannon, News Editor

Date: 19 April 2013 Time: 06:16 PM ET

Red squirrel moms know how to give their offspring an early edge in a crowded forest.

New research shows the animals can speed up the growth rate of their pups to help ensure they'll be able to compete for turf when populations are dense. Surprisingly, stress, not more food, is the key to the mother's gift, scientists say.

Bigger squirrels have a better chance of staking out an exclusive territory, where they can freely feast on the seeds hidden in spruce-tree cones. Juveniles that don't manage to acquire a territory before their first winter often do not survive.

"When population density is high, only the fastest-growing offspring survive," said study researcher Andrew McAdam, of Guelph University in Canada.

McAdam and colleagues studied North American red squirrels living in the Yukon. In field experiments, they played recordings of territorial squirrel vocalizations (known as "rattles") to trick the moms into thinking that the forests were more densely populated.

More:  http://www.livescience.com/28892-red-squirrels-stress-offspring.html

Red squirrels given boost as greys are targeted

March 2013. An initiative to help red squirrels in North Wales is to be extended into Gwynedd. The project is a partnership between the UK's largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and the Red Squirrels Trust Wales. It has already had success in Anglesey which now contains the largest and most genetically diverse red squirrel population in Wales with over 500 animals recorded over a 720km2 landscape. 

Red squirrels have crossed the Menai Straits

The scheme, part of BASC's Green Shoots conservation programme, now aims to focus on Gwynedd. In 2008 the first red squirrel crossed the Menai Straits and colonized woodlands. In 2012 red squirrels were found breeding near Parc Menai in Bangor. 

Bangor

Dr Craig Shuttleworth of the Red Squirrels Trust Wales said: "Working with BASC, we have a unique opportunity to see red squirrels return to woodlands in Bangor and the Ogwen Valley. Anglesey has demonstrated the strong public support that exists for red squirrel conservation and we want to build upon that. The Gwynedd project will help protect Anglesey from the threat of grey squirrel reinvasion as well as creating an important mainland red squirrel population." 

Audrey Watson of BASC said: "Grey squirrel populations threaten to make red squirrels extinct. It is through management projects like this that the contribution to conservation by people who shoot is brought to the fore. Research shows that shooters put in almost three million work days on conservation each year." 

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/bangor-red-squirrel.html