Red alert is stood down after ‘sighting’ of grey squirrel in Kingussie
A report of a grey squirrel moving into Kingussie and putting wildlife lovers on red alert has proven to be a hoax.
The claims along with a blurry photo of the intruder posted on local social media earlier in the week where being investigated by a charity set up to save Scotland’s red squirrels.
But it has transpired that the picture was in fact taken in Perthshire and the greys appear yet to have crossed the divide into the strath.
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels had put an appeal out for sightings of the invader.
The charity’s Rachel Avery, who had put out the alert, told the Strathy: “The arrival of grey squirrels would have been very big - and bad - news but turns out it was a false alarm.
“Someone sent the photo to someone else saying it was taken at Campbell Crescent in Kingussie as a joke, and they then passed it on to Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels charity in good faith.
“There was a grey squirrel spotted in Inverness back in 2008 that was quickly got rid of, someone had transported it there so SSRS felt they needed to act.
“The main thing is that our reds are still safe.”
