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Scotland's red squirrels face a new threat





Strathspey is a stronghold for red squirrels
Strathspey is a stronghold for red squirrels

Scotland's red squirrel population faces a fresh battle for survival after the discovery of a deadly virus moving north with England’s grey squirrels.

The native species has nearly been wiped out in the south of the UK after the introduction of the north American species which thrive in the red’s natural habitat.

Now a lethal squirrel pox virus has been recorded as far north as Ayrshire and conservation groups fear the Cairngorms National Park could be next.

Conservations officer Karen Ramoss said: "It’s still early days in terms of what has been found. Fife has never done testing and we’ve never found evidence of the virus above the central belt but we’ve found the virus in Ayrshire and the main worry is that it is so close.

"We need to act now to stop the problem moving further north. It will be on the Highland’s doorstep soon and then they’re going to have a serious problem."

With 75% of the the UK’s remaining 160,000 reds Scotland is seen as the last stronghold for the shy woodland creature.

The species has been lost from an extensive area in the Central Belt through deforestation and is found primarily in the Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Argyll, Perthshire, Grampian and Highland.

The virus poses no threat to the grey squirrels who carry it but kills the smaller reds within just two weeks of infection.

Miss Ramoss said that although European initiatives to stem the spread through contraception and vaccine are years from completion the spread of the virus can be slowed down through population control.

She said: There’s been a dramatic decline of reds in the south of Scotland but what we’ve seen is that if we can limit the grey population the reds can come back. We need to do this now.

"The virus originates with English greys so we work to control this at the border but we have found the virus leaps ahead of seemingly clear populations.

"There is so much still unknown about the virus so it’s important to keep working."

The general public are urged to help by reporting sightings of reds or greys in their area to allow activists to tackle the problem through trapping.

The grey squirrel was introduced to the UK in the late 19th Century but by that time Scotland’s reds were already in decline as large scale deforestation reduced their habitat.

Further afield, the red squirrel is distributed throughout the Palaearctic, through Europe and Scandinavia to the east coast of Russia.

Italian red squirrel populations are currently engaged in a similar fight for survival following the introduction of the grey.


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