Wild Red Squirrel Conservation: Disease, Competition and Welfare

Red squirrels survive in the UK only in isolated strongholds, threatened by squirrelpox disease carried by grey squirrels. Conservation welfare involves difficult decisions about grey squirrel management.

Key Facts

UK red squirrel populations have fallen from millions to around 140,000, mostly in Scotland
Grey squirrels introduced from North America carry squirrelpox virus to which reds have no immunity
The disease is 100% fatal to red squirrels but causes only mild symptoms in grey squirrels
Red squirrel strongholds in England include Northumberland, the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island
Vaccination of red squirrels against squirrelpox is being trialled as a conservation tool
Grey squirrel management (culling) in buffer zones around red squirrel areas is controversial but effective
Translocation of red squirrels to disease-free islands has been successful in several cases

Welfare Considerations

Red squirrel welfare involves a conservation welfare dilemma: protecting red squirrels requires reducing grey squirrel numbers in adjacent areas, which involves killing grey squirrels - a welfare harm to individuals of another sentient species. Squirrelpox causes a painful, prolonged death in red squirrels including eye and mouth lesions, distress, and progressive deterioration over 15 days. The welfare of individual grey squirrels killed in management operations must be weighed against the welfare and survival of individual red squirrels protected by those operations.

What You Can Do

Support red squirrel conservation organisations including the Red Squirrel Survival Trust
Donate to squirrelpox vaccine research that may provide a non-lethal conservation solution
Report red squirrel sightings to the local conservation organisation in your area
If in grey squirrel management areas, ensure any trapping uses humane, quick-kill methods