Red alert as new photographs focus on a squirrel population in decline
IT IS a collection of photographs that gives an intimate perspective on one of the country’s best-loved animals.
The pictures, taken in the Widdale Red Squirrel Reserve in North Yorkshire, show red squirrels scampering along wooden gates and thick branches in search of sustenance.
The shots give an up-close and personal insight on the animals, who are greatly outnumbered in the UK by their grey counterparts.
There are fears that such images could become rarer in years to come, with red squirrel populations in the UK on the decline.
The UK Squirrel Accord, a nationwide partnership looking to secure the future of the animal, estimates there are about 140,000 red squirrels in the UK, where years ago there were several million.
Kay Haw, the director of the group, said: “The greatest threat to the UK’s red squirrels is competition from and disease transmission by invasive nonnative grey squirrels. They out-compete red squirrels for food and habitat, which negatively impacts red squirrel reproduction and survival rates.” Red squirrels are native to the UK, while the grey variety arrived from North America in the 19th century.
Ms Haw said that grey squirrels carry but do not contract the squirrel pox virus, which they can transmit to their red counterparts with fatal consequences.
Efforts are therefore being made to ensure that grey squirrels are kept away from red squirrel areas to prevent the spread of disease and to minimise competition for food.
“Grey squirrels have already caused local extinctions of red squirrels and it is thanks to the dedication and activities of volunteer groups, partnerships and organisations that there have not been more losses,” Ms Haw added.