Wildlife

Red Squirrel: Conservation Welfare in Competition with Grey Squirrels

Red squirrels are native to Britain but have been displaced from most of England by introduced grey squirrels.

Key Facts

Red squirrels have been displaced from 90 percent of their former English range
They are susceptible to squirrelpox virus carried by grey squirrels but lethal to reds
UK red squirrel population is estimated at around 140,000 mainly in Scotland and Northern England
Red squirrels are important seed dispersers particularly for conifer trees
They cache food in autumn and rely on spatial memory to find it in winter

Welfare Considerations

Red squirrels suffer from squirrelpox disease which causes painful skin lesions and death within weeks. Starvation in winter occurs when cone crops fail in managed monoculture forests. Competition with grey squirrels for food and nest sites reduces body condition. Conservation management involving grey squirrel control creates ethical tensions between the welfare of individual animals and species recovery.

What You Can Do

Support Forestry England native woodland creation that favours red squirrel habitat
Donate to the Red Squirrel Survival Trust which coordinates conservation across the UK
Report squirrelpox signs in red squirrels to local Wildlife Trusts immediately
Advocate for humane grey squirrel control methods as part of red squirrel recovery
Plant native trees including hazel and Scots pine that provide red squirrel food