Britain's last red squirrel population being infected with deadly virus after killer greys infiltrate protected area
7 years, 6 months ago

Britain's last red squirrel population being infected with deadly virus after killer greys infiltrate protected area

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Grey squirrels are killing off their rare red counterparts with a deadly virus in the Lake District. A population of 30 red squirrels living in Grasmere in the Lake District has fallen to 12 after grey squirrels managed to infiltrate their mountainous terrain. “Record numbers of grey squirrels overwhelmed control methods in the valley and then entered the Grasmere area,” the report read. “Only a few months after grey squirrels entered the area, the first cases of pox virus occurred in red squirrels.” Squirrel caught on camera stealing chocolate from a corner shop Grey squirrels were imported from America by 19th-century landowners to "add variety" to UK wildlife, but they carry a virus which has decimated the native red squirrel population.

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History of this topic

UK: Train cancelled after two squirrels board and one 'refuses to leave'
6 months, 1 week ago

UK: Train cancelled after two squirrels board and one 'refuses to leave'

India TV News  

A train in Britain was cancelled after a pair of squirrels boarded the service and one refused to get off, Great Western Railway said on Wednesday. Staff tried to shoo the furry free-riders off when the train reached Redhill, Surrey, but one squirrel refused to disembark, GWR said. Image Source : GREAT WESTERN RAILWAYTwo squirrel travellers force train cancellation "We …

Squirrelpox claims its first victim in the Scottish Highlands: Heartbreaking image shows a red squirrel with tell-tale ulcers around its eyes and mouth - as experts warn the last surviving populations
11 months, 3 weeks ago

Squirrelpox claims its first victim in the Scottish Highlands: Heartbreaking image shows a red squirrel with tell-tale ulcers around its eyes and mouth - as experts warn the last surviving populations

Daily Mail  

The last surviving red squirrel populations in the UK face death from the disease that has ravaged their cousins in the rest of the country. Squirrelpox has eliminated the majority of red squirrels in the UK, with populations holding out in the north of Scotland. The organisation Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels said the first identified death of a red squirrel …

That's nuts! Inside the government's plan to crackdown on grey squirrels and deer - from releasing mutant animals into the wild to feeding prisoners venison
1 year, 1 month ago

That's nuts! Inside the government's plan to crackdown on grey squirrels and deer - from releasing mutant animals into the wild to feeding prisoners venison

Daily Mail  

With their big eyes and bushy tails, grey squirrels might look cute. But the animals are actually wreaking on both trees and native red squirrels Deer will be culled, cooked and served to prisoners or those in hospital under new net zero plans to protect England's forests. Outside the UK, red squirrels are common across continental Europe and Asia, especially …

Would YOU try it? MailOnline tastes roasted grey squirrel - as experts call for Britons to eat the meat to save the native red species
1 year, 2 months ago

Would YOU try it? MailOnline tastes roasted grey squirrel - as experts call for Britons to eat the meat to save the native red species

Daily Mail  

It's adorably fluffy and is frequently seen scampering up the trees of British parks. Exmoor Squirrel Project says grey squirrel meat is good served up in stews, pies and kebabs – even though there's not a lot of meat on a single critter. Oven ready squirrel: The Wild Meat Company sources and sells more unusual types of meat that are …

MP labels grey squirrels ‘Hamas of the squirrel world’
1 year, 3 months ago

MP labels grey squirrels ‘Hamas of the squirrel world’

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A DUP MP has blasted grey squirrels as the “Hamas …

Pine marten presence ‘almost doubles’ in Northern Ireland
1 year, 9 months ago

Pine marten presence ‘almost doubles’ in Northern Ireland

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. However, a new survey report by Ulster Wildlife has shown significant pine marten expansion across all counties since 2017 …

Red squirrels living apart on Isle of Wight have different genes, research finds
1 year, 11 months ago

Red squirrels living apart on Isle of Wight have different genes, research finds

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Red squirrels found living on different sides of the Isle …

Scots urged to help ‘iconic’ species by being squirrel spotters
2 years, 5 months ago

Scots urged to help ‘iconic’ species by being squirrel spotters

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The nationwide Great Scottish Squirrel Survey is taking place from Monday October 10 to …

How over 400 British species have become extinct over the past 200 years
2 years, 6 months ago

How over 400 British species have become extinct over the past 200 years

Daily Mail  

Britain has lost almost half of its biodiversity since the Industrial Revolution and more than 400 species over the last 200 years. Critically endangered Wildcat Greater mouse-eared bat Vulnerable Hedgehog Hazel dormouse Orkney Vole Serotine bat Barbastelle bat Endangered Beaver Red squirrel Water vole Grey long-eared bat Near threatened Mountain hare Harvest mouse Lesser white-toothed shrew Leisler's bat Nathusius' pipistrelle …

Birth control plan to cut grey squirrel numbers produces 'hopeful results'
2 years, 8 months ago

Birth control plan to cut grey squirrel numbers produces 'hopeful results'

Daily Mail  

A scheme testing an oral contraceptive pill on grey squirrels in the UK is producing 'hopeful results', experts say. Their population grew quickly due to their ability cope with new landscapes, and are now known as an Invasive Alien species Grey squirrels are one the main reasons for local extinctions of red squirrels in large areas of the UK, as …

Grey squirrel terrorises north Wales community, attacking and injuring 18 people
3 years, 2 months ago

Grey squirrel terrorises north Wales community, attacking and injuring 18 people

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A grey squirrel went on a 48-hour rampage, attacking and …

Woodland Trust launches plan to reforest 550 acres of 'bleak' land to boost Yorkshire's red squirrels
3 years, 10 months ago

Woodland Trust launches plan to reforest 550 acres of 'bleak' land to boost Yorkshire's red squirrels

The Telegraph  

The Woodland Trust has launched a plan to reforest 550 acres of moorland to help boost Yorkshire's red squirrels. It needs £3.5m to buy grazing land at Snaizeholme, currently a "bleak" landscape with few trees, and add new planting to link small patches of forest, some of which is thought to be ancient woodland. Al Crosby, the Woodland Trust’s regional …

Genetically modified squirrels could curb growing population of greys
4 years ago

Genetically modified squirrels could curb growing population of greys

The Telegraph  

Mutant grey squirrels, genetically modified to spread infertility genes, could be released into the wild to tackle the burgeoning population, the University of Edinburgh has said. North American grey squirrels were imported to Britain in the mid-19th century by landowners, and their population has now grown to more than two million. Now the University of Edinburgh has suggested that genetically …

Government backs plan to give contraceptives to invasive grey squirrels
4 years, 2 months ago

Government backs plan to give contraceptives to invasive grey squirrels

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The UK government is backing plans to give invasive grey squirrels oral contraceptives to reduce …

Muntjac deer and grey squirrels dubbed ‘illegal aliens’ under EU rules
5 years, 4 months ago

Muntjac deer and grey squirrels dubbed ‘illegal aliens’ under EU rules

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Government wildlife bosses are designating muntjac deer and grey squirrels …

Grey squirrels driven out reds because they're smarter
7 years, 1 month ago

Grey squirrels driven out reds because they're smarter

Daily Mail  

Grey squirrels have driven out Britain’s native reds, and most Britons think it’s because they are bigger and bullies. A study has found grey squirrels may out-compete British red squirrels because they are better at problem-solving. The findings suggest grey squirrels, which came here from North America in the 19th century, may be more adaptable than the reds which they …

Red squirrels may be wiped out by Squirrel Pox in Anglesey
7 years, 5 months ago

Red squirrels may be wiped out by Squirrel Pox in Anglesey

Daily Mail  

Red squirrels could be almost wiped out in one of their last British strongholds by the deadly squirrel pox virus. Squirrel pox, carried by invasive grey squirrels, has helped destroy 95 per cent of native reds in England and Wales since 1952. But it had never been seen on Anglesey, Wales, raising fears after a dead red squirrel with facial …

Why red squirrels are thriving in one corner of Merseyside
7 years, 7 months ago

Why red squirrels are thriving in one corner of Merseyside

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. A red stronghold But one town where the reds haven’t disappeared is Formby, in Merseyside, the study site for …

Red squirrels in the UK carry leprosy, scientists discover
8 years, 4 months ago

Red squirrels in the UK carry leprosy, scientists discover

The Independent  

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Red squirrels in the UK carry strains of leprosy similar …

Red squirrels in the UK could bring back leprosy
8 years, 4 months ago

Red squirrels in the UK could bring back leprosy

Daily Mail  

Red squirrels in the UK carry strains of leprosy similar to those that have afflicted disability and disfigurement on humans for centuries, a study has shown. Scientists tested DNA samples from 25 red squirrels living on Brownsea Island, Dorset, and found that every one was infected with the leprosy bacteria Mycobacterium leprae. Leprosy was identified in red squirrels for the …

Leprosy threat to red squirrels prompts new study
8 years, 10 months ago

Leprosy threat to red squirrels prompts new study

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wildlife experts have launched a study into how a strain of leprosy affects the UK's …

Humans helped grey squirels spread, triggering a decline in their red cousins
9 years, 2 months ago

Humans helped grey squirels spread, triggering a decline in their red cousins

Daily Mail  

It has long been thought grey squirrels were hardy invaders and were able to interbreed into a 'supersquirrel' species that adapted and spread around the UK, conquering vast areas. But DNA analysis of squirrels living more than 500 miles apart has proved there is no super species and greys are ultimately 'genetically distinct' The species originated from North America but …

Grey squirrels breach Highland Red Squirrel Protection Line
9 years, 2 months ago

Grey squirrels breach Highland Red Squirrel Protection Line

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The breaching of the Highland Red Squirrel Protection Line, which was created by conservationists in 2009 and stretches coast-to-coast …

Grey squirrels now extinct in Anglesey, North Wales after 18-year cull
9 years, 5 months ago

Grey squirrels now extinct in Anglesey, North Wales after 18-year cull

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy One island in the UK has eliminated grey squirrels with the aim of protecting the …

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