The Estate Office,
Symondsbury Park,
Symondsbury,
Dorset
DT6 6EX
Telephone
07802 754126
email
info@britishredsquirrel.org
Red Squirrel Conference
Red Squirrel South West and the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project are hosting a red squirrel conference entitled "National and International Perspectives on Red Squirrel Conservation". The aim is to bring together lessons learnt from red squirrel conservation around Europe, and to consider how these lessons can benefit existing and new red squirrel projects. The draft timetable for the event can be seen on our blog page.
You can book your place by emailing britishredsquirrel@gmail.com or by visiting www.cornwallredsquirrels.co.uk and then the "Conservation Conference" page, where you can book online and pay using Paypal. Of course if you'd rather do things the old fashioned way you can also post a cheque and booking form to:
The British Red Squirrel has some basic needs, our aims are:
• To protect the British Red Squirrel by keeping reds and greys apart.
• To assist the surviving British Red Squirrels in areas where red squirrel population numbers have stabalized or are increasing.
• To establish a breeding and education centre at Escot and new British Red Squirrel colonies across the south west of England.
• To fund research to develop a vaccine for the squirrel pox virus and control fertility in greys.
• To raise awareness of the plight of the British Red Squirrel in the south west of England
The Threat to Reds
The decline of red squirrels is caused by interaction with grey squirrels. Grey squirrels are a non-native species that were introduced to the UK from North America in Victorian times. They have few natural predators and have managed to colonise 90% of England and Wales in the past 50 years.
Red and Grey distribution map, 1940 and 2010
Greys threaten red populations in two ways:
Greys carry disease 60% of grey squirrels in England and Wales carry the squirrel pox virus. While they are immune to the disease it is deadly to reds.
Greys crowd out the reds Greys eat seven times more food per hectare than reds. They aggressively compete for food, crowding out reds until eventually only greys are left.
Red Squirrel Conference
Red Squirrel South West and the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project are hosting a red squirrel conference entitled "National and International Perspectives on Red Squirrel Conservation". The aim is to bring together lessons learnt from red squirrel conservation around Europe, and to consider how these lessons can benefit existing and ...Read More
The British Red Squirrel has seen a decline in its numbers, range and habitat across the region to such an extent the the last confirmed sighting of a British Red Squirrel in the wild was in the mid 1940's.
Today, in the South West of England, the British Red Squirrel can only be seen in a two places:
British Red Squirrels is an organisation run by the Red Squirrel South West Project, a Registered Charity No. 1138484.
We were set up by a group of willing volunteers to see if we could create a the right environment for the conservation and protection of the British Red Squirrel across its natural range in the South West of England.
Wherever possible we work with local volunteers, groups and charities to set up local projects. The expertise and local knowledge these groups have have is invaluable in creating the right environment for the British Red Squirrel.
Local communities working together to bring back and save the iconic British Red Squirrel!
It is perfectly legal to kill grey squirrels and has been so since 1937 when the UK Government declared them to be an invasive non-native species.
The Grey Squirrel Order of that year made it illegal to import, keep, provide veterinary support to, or release grey squirrels into the wild.
Much more recently (2007), the UK Minister for Biodiversity declared the grey squirrel to be one of the three most destructive non-native species ever released into the UK. The main reason for this is that grey squirrels, and the disease they carry, are the main reason why red squirrels are on the edge of extinction in mainland England and Wales. It is a sad fact that if you want to keep red squirrels in the North of England, this means controlling (killing) grey squirrels in that region.
As a pest species, it is legal to trap grey squirrels with humane, live catch traps and then kill them by either hitting them on the head or shooting them in the cage. Most grey squirrel control is undertaken by trained operators, following an agreed set of guidelines. You can download a copy of our Grey Squirrel Control Guidelines for more information by clicking here.
British Red Squirrels can provide training for groups, organisations and individuals on the trapping and culling of grey squirrels - contact us for more information. info@britishredsquirrels.org
