Red squirrels are endangered in most of Britain due to grey squirrel competition and squirrelpox. Conservation efforts protect a species whose population decline represents millions of lost lives.
Squirrelpox causes significant suffering — the ulcerative lesions, neurological signs, and systemic illness of the disease are deeply distressing for affected animals. Squirrelpox-infected red squirrels typically die within two weeks and there is no treatment. Each red squirrel death from squirrelpox represents both a conservation loss and an individual welfare tragedy. Conservation measures that prevent squirrelpox spread by controlling grey squirrel populations directly reduce the incidence of this suffering.