Red squirrels are a native UK species facing extinction driven by squirrelpox and competition from grey squirrels. Individual red squirrel welfare is linked directly to conservation management.
Red squirrel welfare involves both individual disease suffering and population-level existential threat. Squirrelpox causes a prolonged death - over 1-2 weeks an infected animal experiences progressive lesion formation, debilitation and starvation as it can no longer forage. Individual squirrels in areas where grey squirrels encroach are chronically at risk. The welfare case for grey squirrel management in red squirrel conservation zones is therefore direct and individual: removing grey squirrels eliminates the disease reservoir that causes individual red squirrels to die in distress. Conservation and welfare objectives are aligned.