Grey squirrels are invasive in the UK but are sentient animals, creating a welfare-conservation tension in how their population management is conducted.
Grey squirrels are sentient mammals capable of suffering, and population management must consider their individual welfare alongside conservation goals. Cage trapping followed by shooting provides reliable humane dispatch when done correctly. Spring traps such as Fenn traps can cause injury without immediate death if improperly set. Poisoning with warfarin causes slow death from internal haemorrhage and is considered inhumane by many welfare scientists. The development of oral immunocontraception offers a genuinely welfare-positive population management approach. The conservation imperative for red squirrel protection does not eliminate the obligation to minimise suffering in grey squirrel management.