Joy after baby squirrels find natural home

Five young red squirrels have been released back to their natural habitat after spending nearly three months in rehabilitation.

The animals were given into the care of the Scottish SPCA, just hours old, on July 29 this year, when a member of the public found they had fallen from their nest in Fife.

The kits weighed just 12g each when they arrived at the c h a r i ty ’ s Na t i o n a l Wildlife Rescue Centre and it was clear they would need hourly feeding if they were to survive.

Animal care assistant Juanita Zaldua was responsible for their care.

“It was touch and go for a while,” she said.

“Kits that young should be with their mum and require specialist care.

“I had to feed them every hour for the first three weeks.

“In the third week they opened their eyes, which made the sleep deprivation worthwhile.

“Once they had weaned at around nine weeks, they

were strong enough to go out into the aviary where they learned to interact and play.

The baby squirrels are currently settling into their new home in a secre t conservation area of the Highlands.

T hey continue to be monitored and will be given support feeding as it gets closer to winter.

“We were all very sad to see them go but it was so rewarding to be able to raise them and watch them be released back to their natural habitat,” Ms Zaldua added.

The kits are the youngest to be released into the wild as effor ts continue to preserve and re- establish red squirrels in Scotland.

The mammal is the only native squirrel species and one of the country’s most loved animals, but its populations have seriously declined in recent years in large par t due to the invasion of the Nor th American grey squirrel.

There are around 120,000 red squirrels in Scotland – three-quarters of the UK’s population.

Scottish SPCA wildlife manager, Steve Gray said: “They were once found all over Scotland but are now concentrated up north or around Tayside.

“The emergence of nonnative grey squirrels did have a big impact on the numbers of reds due to competition and disease.

“But the decline is also down to human activity as many of the red squirrels’ habitats have been destroyed for development.”

Mr Gray added:“This was an especially important release as it’s helping to preserve the red squirrel population in Scotland.”

UNDER THREAT: Efforts are under way to re-establish red squirrels in Scotland.

The kits weighed in at 12g.