Red squirrels are one of Britain's most beloved native mammals. Conservation efforts to protect them from grey squirrel competition have significant animal welfare dimensions.
Red squirrel conservation presents a genuine animal welfare dilemma. Protecting red squirrels currently requires killing grey squirrels - both are sentient animals capable of suffering. Grey squirrels are trapped and killed humanely where possible, but large-scale culling inevitably involves some welfare compromise. The development of fertility control vaccines and oral contraceptives for grey squirrels offers a more humane future management pathway. In the meantime, supporting well-managed culling programmes that minimise suffering, combined with habitat creation and supplementary feeding for reds, represents the most welfare-conscious approach.