Red squirrels’ genes are fittest for survival

I WANTED to let you know about an exciting new discovery we’ve made as part of our Red Squirrel Project in mid Wales and to see if this was of any interest to you.

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales’ team have discovered a new haplotype that hasn’t been found anywhere else in the world before!

Haplotype is a genetic marker, a DNA sequence that can help us to understand the genetic makeup and ancestry of an animal. Put simply, haplotype is a close-knit group of genes which an offspring inherits from one parent.

We put sticky pads on the inside of red squirrel feeder stations and hair samples were collected from this. We also have a video of a red squirrel going into the feeder and when he lifts up the lid you can see the sticky pad. This could potentially be the squirrel with the new haplotype.

From this incredible finding, we can take away that the population of reds in mid Wales has a healthy genetic diversity, which means that our conservation efforts are more likely to be successful because having a diverse gene pool helps populations adapt to changing environments.

We will also be using this finding to help raise vital funds to be able to continue this project over the next two years. Rebecca Vincent (Becks) Marketing, Communications & Legacy Fundraising Officer, Wildlife Trust of South & West Wales, Bridgend