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ScienceQuiet 4d · day 4

UK red squirrels face extinction as grey squirrel population tops 2.5m

BBC traces 150 years of grey squirrel spread since an 1876 import, as conservationists warn native reds could vanish within 25 years.

newest coverage 3d agosummary written 3d ago4 pieces6 likes & upvotes NewswiresMastodon

What to know

  • Red squirrel numbers have fallen from about 3.5 million to under 300,000, with estimates as low as 15,000-39,000 by conservation groups.
  • Grey squirrels, descended from an 1876 introduction, now number 2.5-2.7 million and outcompete reds while spreading a fatal squirrel pox virus.
  • A petition with over 75,000 signatures and a May warning that reds could vanish within 25 years have raised pressure for action.
  • Conservationists are pinning hopes on a weight-selective oral contraceptive 'hopper' trial and pine marten reintroduction, though gene therapy remains a decade off.

“Secondly, greys have squirrel pox - it doesn't affect them but they transmit it to red squirrels and it's fatal for them. It's a horrible disease and causes them ulcers and blindness.”

Jackie Foott, British Red Squirrel conservation group · BBC News ↗ · Sep 19

Thomas V. Brocklehurst Victorian bankerJackie Foott British Red Squirrel conservation groupGraham Paskett Red Squirrel Survival TrustWoodland Trust Conservation organisationSave Our Reds Conservation campaign

UK red squirrels face extinction as grey squirrel population tops 2.5m
bbc.co.uk

How it unfolded 1 development · click the chart to see its coverage articlesposts

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Sep 21Sep 22yesterdaynow · 12:59 AM ET
  1. 1

    Red Squirrel Survival Trust outlines contraceptive hopper trial timeline

    Graham Paskett said a field trial funded jointly with the government's Animal and Plant Health Agency, using a weight-selective 'hopper' to deliver oral contraceptives to greys, could begin later this year or early next year and yield results within five years.

    “developed the means to deliver oral contraceptives to grey squirrels using a 'hopper' which sees the squirrel lift up a lid…”
    — Graham Paskett
    1. 1 outlet When did grey squirrels start posing a threat to reds?

      first by BBC Science, 3d ago

      1 more headline
    • BBC@c.im

      # BBC # News # Science # Environment When did grey squirrels start posing a threat to reds?

      BBC@c.imMastodon3d agoview on Mastodon ↗
  2. background

    BBC details scale of grey squirrel takeover and conservation response — BBC reporting lays out population figures — reds down to under 300,000 against 2.5-2.7 million greys — and canvasses conservationists on causes and possible remedies, including squirrel pox transmission and habitat competition.

  3. background

    Save Our Reds warns reds could disappear within 25 years — The campaign group said red squirrels, which 'still cling on' in parts of northern England, face extinction within a generation without intervention.

  4. background

    Petition calling for red squirrel conservation gathers 75,000 signatures — A petition launched earlier this year urged urgent government action to protect declining red squirrel populations.

  5. background

    Cheshire banker introduces grey squirrels to Britain — Thomas V. Brocklehurst reportedly released a pair of grey squirrels, brought back from a US business trip, into Henbury Park near Macclesfield.