Red squirrels are critically threatened in Britain, surviving only in refugia. Conservation efforts that protect remaining populations also support individual welfare outcomes.
Red squirrel welfare is inseparable from their conservation status. Individual red squirrels that contract squirrelpox suffer a distressing disease causing skin lesions, eye inflammation, and debilitation before death. The ongoing displacement of red squirrels from their historical range represents both a conservation and welfare crisis at population scale. Grey squirrel management in core red squirrel areas, while involving lethal control that has its own welfare implications, is currently considered essential for preventing the extinction of red squirrels from Britain. Supplementary feeding programs support individual red squirrel welfare and allow monitoring of population status in managed areas.