N oBscure lawthat; •’ ~


^dictates sightingspf§ grey squirrels'must i i?


scrapped ? -


’;®a e reported is being * ” ,


try. to control this introduced ^.- '.species inorder.to protect; ■]'t l our native red squirrel.' :- s v-;: 33 But the Grey.Squirrels'? ^Prohibition of. Importation 3?; ; and Keeping) .Orde’fo f -1937/.4J "which['meant pedplecould ;>-||


ftji^The original idea was to i '^ f ■


ib e .p ro se a i^W ia ilin g d .; '^ ^ i s to'report a grey squirrel ;:'A‘v :T;:ts


_


v on their land,'is’n'o longer i i ' f ,|5 regarded aspseful.7’ ■_ ^ ; ■


^WA'mdre,thanv^5'rnilliSnr^$ \ of these creatures'in the.UKv;-?; itoday, and an estimated -£vs->$


4-120,000*. red squirrels/the ¥ jbattle seems to liave been ’ ■ " lost 1-


J,;.;; However; Rachel Miller,- red ;S ^squiiTeffield officer, with the 3 3; kWildlife Trust for Lancashire, -.Manchester and Norths 3.-3Y? Merseyside,- is'surprisingly 4 v V‘j • optimistic;:"We!vedone somfe 3


^S e ll in g a n ;o r igm a I and im a g in a t iv e !


•1??* £> | 3 s $ : j q w c l ^ f ^


£ ^ sW? V unique a n d f.\n^^ngyative?^^ralige^gffts^


!!!: i "Jrea t y o u rse I f o r so me ori e s p e c i a i .-. ! ; ^ to c k is to fTw o -B a dM ic e ;T h e P e e ra n d


^S a rd in e Range, GisellaiGraham^Wild^"-C


I population significantly," she : > I says.-"They can be controlled. -


l--.lt might even be possible to I eliminate them." '


' ' ,


I And, despite the: I - disappearance of the;1937-J -•■ I -, law, she still wants people 1> living doseto red squirrel ■ ■


‘ ", - '-t


’ - 3 morning arjdthen maybe keep! - in contact with land owners • _ : in the strongholds,"-says -: Rachel, explaining a typical


iv-


. iv.-day. "Then I might check one . of the trail cameras, which w e ; ■ .have for monitoring areas that4'-


i$6 -are difficult to reach] maybe iz*. because they're overgrownf?;:;- "These cameras allow us to7?


. I --.monitor,grey squirrel activity:;


jid-cTbey're then caught in, live C: ■ '.capture traps and humanely^i - destroyed."


'


recovering; however,-and - numbers are. now at just over '- 80 per cent of the pre-pox -levels.-


‘-.She says it-is difficult to be -


. .certain of exact numbers,; '. but confirms that the 2002 • .,- population,-which acts as a ■ "ibenchmark, was between ‘S-.T


^;-


1.1,000 and 1,500.‘Ea’ch year- '■ vtransects are walked three' -


■: effective work’ in Merseyside;-r ■ I and reduced the grey squirrel - -


itimes in spring and autumn to ,"count squirrels-red and grey. Much of Rachel's time is >


' taken up ensuring that greys' • are kept out of the area.. . : "I might set traps in the


F a c t ; . ■;■--.■


I . .strongholds like Formby Point -- I -.to come forward if they see '- .-' I any grey squirrels in the area. I Rachel is at the forefront of I the battle,to.keep the greys a* I . at bay in an area stretching .- I -along the coast from Crosby ; - I _ to Southport - with Formby - at its heart. It is here, in the--. •' /coniferous plantations behind


U.the sand dunes; th'at people i —flock to see the red squirrel. > Uiw- Now, more than ever, a - - - - S Tsighting-here is precious, because in 2008 the red •


I - squirrels at Formby was hit by l-the pox virus, something that if is carried by, but that does riot * affect, its grey cousin.'.


- " In less than a.year, more- • than eight out of 10 died-


,


■ as a re'sult.'"They become ■:«- lethargic and tend to become ? " dehydrated," says Rachel." , ’ "


O p e n i l iO a i j iS jS p posed^AAednesday/and -S.unday^'-^ll


**Most die withintwo weeks? ;’f;? of contracting the disease: A! > r vaccine is being developed, - . but it's not available yet." ‘ ■ The red squirrels are-’’


-■


. ® The first pair of grey • squirrels was brought - to England from North' America in 1876 and was' released in Cheshire) by a Mr Brocklehurst.


.


® A full-grown g'rey can weigh almost twice as much as a red.


9 In the 1920s and 1930s grey squirrels began to lose their appeal when they were found to be responsible..... for significant damage to


, commercial forestry and beech trees. • Importation of grey


i 1938. • The parapox virus, which


squirrels became illegal in


is similar to myxomatosis in rabbits, caused red squirrel numbers to plummet • between 1900 and1920.


® A recent survey by the RSPB found the grey squirrel is the creature most likely to be spotted in people's


gardens (see page 3). , 'Here,the law is helpful," ‘-r-*-.:.--;


.Vj5lbecause.it is illegal to release •c-i back into the wild a greyjf.-affwi.-: squirrel that has been caught' ;-


~k so its fate is sealed once it is:i . in the trap.


1 ‘‘ ,1 /,


.- ; Red squirrels, although they. . are occasionally found in the'/i^-'


:..----.traps, are discouraged both-r3 ;3 .ivby the.type of bait laid and the fact the traps' are placed on.


, vvthe ground/somewhere much-S more likely to be populated by? greys. And, of course, any red -


-. .squirrels.captured can legally ’!.? be released., * ”


r. c. In addition to transmitting 3: the pox, the greys threaten


- '>.*-■ red squirrels because they- - ' :i- ■ : are much more efficient at , digesting large seeds from ’•? ^broadleaved trees, eating: ■ them before they are fuljy ripe.-


. -v - "If it.weren't for.cdniferous ; 1 .--.-plantations'the red'squfrrel-v : r: wouldn't be with us.;^eyA--lw' :v survive better.on pin^trees;'.f; K


i fhan grey squirrels; whici^ - i , 4 can't get enough energy


■i^Trom the cones; the"reds are: - ' smaller and don't have the ; ?


... sarne energy requirement."-1 & .says Rachel, blow; she says'/&&'* " it is important to ensure', ' - r > '


i-. plantations are madeup o fi‘,?iv v l different species of trees and - they are planted at different','3 times, ensuring a continuing^.s?


'3 supply of pine cones. . As'forthe scrapping of the ’?•


r,, : .1937 law, Rachel is resigned ’ "It probably won't make -- - ; ^ much difference, because -


\


people in this area in particular? are aware of the problems


i' associated with grey squirrels.- • 1 s . They do still phone us to 1


.T .report sightings^whether or] i ' - i ?


-^Pot they,were everaware'ofS&s The legislation I don’t know.-"-#7 * Estimates of the number ^ ; of red squirrels in the,UK vary, "4 " but it is thought about three-


j. quarters live in Scotland?. 11;.? / '


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