Kiwis showed us how – but did we listen?

THE UK currently finds itself playing a macabre game of Where’s Wally. Except instead of a wee chap in a striped shirt and bobble hat, it’s a potentially deadly carrier of the Brazilian strain of Covid. But fear not, head Keystone Cop, Matt Hancock, says there is nothing to worry about.

This week Hancock denied that delays in imposing quarantine hotel measures on travellers to the UK had put lives at risk. He said home quarantine measures and travel restrictions on Brazil had already been in place before the hotel policy was implemented.

And there was “no evidence” the infected person had not followed home quarantine rules. True, as we haven’t a clue who they are.

It is mindboggling that hotel quarantine has only recently come into effect, both sides of the border, this far into the pandemic.

If only there was a country to show us a template for the success of prompt border closures in a pandemic.

Maybe somewhere like New Zealand, which has seen just over 2000 cases of the virus and 26 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

If only we could lose the real Wally – Matt Hancock.

RED squirrels have been under threat for centuries. In the 18th and 19th centuries they were considered vermin and had a price on their tails. In 1903, the Ross-shire Squirrel Club killed 4727 of them.

These days the threat comes from the larger grey squirrel, introduced by the Victorians as a garden novelty. They colonise the best breeding spots and food supplies, making it hard for red squirrels to feed their young. Grey squirrels also carry the squirrelpox virus which does not harm them but is fatal to red squirrels, which have no natural immunity.

As a result the adorable wee creatures known as “tufted acrobats” have disappeared from the central belt. The charity Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels estimates there are only 120,000 in the country today.

But they can be spotted in rural and semi-rural areas around Scotland, from southwest, Argyll, the mainland Highlands and north-east. They are particularly keen on pine forests. Look out for their large, untidy nests high up in the trees. There will be telltale scratch marks on tree bark. Squirrels also leave half-eaten pine cones, chewed like apple cores, on the forest floor.

SPOTTING a red deer, the original monarch of the glen, never gets old. The males have the magnificent antlers – on a fully grown adult they can weigh 15kg and be 1m wide. Random sightings are possible in any rural location. The Red Deer Range in Galloway Forest Park has a viewing hide and guided visits. Kinloch on Skye and Glen Affric have large red deer populations.

TO CELEBRATE the launch of TeamDogs, we’re partnering with Butcher’s Nourishing Food For Dogs to offer one lucky owner the opportunity to win a year’s supply of food for their dog.

TeamDogs.co.uk is a new website which features recommendations for dog people – by dog people.

We all love our four-legged friends and this community of dog owners recommend only the best dog-friendly places, walks, holidays, tips, tricks, products and more so you can make every day a dog day.

Butcher’s recipes are packed full of good stuff that dogs love.

Made with natural ingredients from British and Irish farms, Butcher’s products contain no nasties, just 100 per cent complete nutrition with all the vitamins and minerals needed.

You’ll be able to choose from 400g cans or 150g foil trays. Either way, we can guarantee your dog will be bouncing with energy and receive total enjoyment from every meal.

So, if you want to be in with a chance of winning this brilliant prize, enter the competition now.