Is it true that the Red Squirrel is becoming endangered?
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A friend heard on the radio this morning that the Red Squirrel is becoming endangered. Is this true? And what can we do about it?
Long live the Squirrel!
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Answers
Yes
Unfortunately yes it is.
yeh it is true
No it isn’t, there are plenty of them in MS. They also taste good.
Yes it’s been happening for years. They “Grey” squirrel is not indigenous to Britain. It was introduced a couple of hundred years ago and has devastated the populatiion of reds.
The Red Squirrel is not becoming endangered it IS endangered and it’s numbers are dwindling fast.
It is extinct is most of the UK. the grey squirrel has taken it’s place but there are parts of the UK were it still thrives and where the grey cannot get to.
Yes. The reason for it is that the grey squirrels carry a virus that doesn’t affect them but does kill of the red squirrels. When they mate the grey squirrel survives and the red ones tend to die off.
Not much that can be done apart from captive breeding programmes.
I guess they could look at cures for the virus
yes its very true in the UK especially so the grey one rules and as far as i can see we can do nothing about it as otherwise it would have been done before now this was known 30 years ago
Anybody that thinks the Red Squirrel is endangered should come to central Indiana!!!!
these things are becoming a real nuisance!!!!
I have probally 30-40 of them in my back yard alone!!!!! (I am not exaggerating in the least)!!!
Yes. They have been endangered for years, ever since the Yanks introduced Grey Squirrels!
The Greys are more aggressive and took over the Reds habitat.
p.s. Americans…we are talking about the UK as this is the UK and Ireland site!!!
Yes – the grey squirrel, which I think was brought here from America, is out competing our native red squirrel for space and now is also spreading a disease. We need to manage our forests with Red Squirrel in mind – plant the correct type of trees for them (not sure, think they like Larch and Scots Pine) and also control the grey squirrel population.
It has been for as long as I can remember.
The Red Squirrel is protected in most of Europe, as it is listed in Appendix III of the Bern Convention; it is also listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List. In some areas it is abundant and hunted for its fur. Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the Red Squirrel has drastically reduced in numbers in the United Kingdom. Under 200,000 individuals are thought to be left, approximately 70 to 75% of which are in Scotland. This population decrease is likely to be due to the introduction of the Eastern Grey Squirrel from North America as well as the loss and fragmentation of its native woodland habitat.
it has been for decades, stupid grey immigrants
I thought it had been endangered for a while because the grey squirrels are more vicious and attack them.
Absolutely, its been driven out by the american grey squirral.
Its been this way for 30 years and gradually getting worse.
The red squirral population is now reduced to isolated pockets in Isle of Wight, scottish highlands and some south wales valleys.
A lot of people think the grey kills the red. This is not true. What happens is is that the grey feeds and stocks earlier for winter than the red because its used to the harsher american climate so prepares earlier. Consequently there is no food when the reds try to stock up.
Nature reflecting lfe, eh ? Typical greedy americans !
The grey squirrel has taken over… cull them and maybe the reds will survive.
Yes sadly, the one and only way to stop it, is to kill the grey squirrel.That is also sad.
Err…yeah.
Its nowhere near as common as the grey squirrel…. And ever sooooo cute!!
This is unfortunately true.
The reason is that the “greys”, an alien species, are bigger and more aggressive than the red squirrel and are rapidly abducting the reds’ natural habitat.
It is widely believed that the greys were introduced to the UK from America, but they were originally from Zeta Reticuli before colonising the US. You can find out more about them at:
yeah, the grey squirrels are taking over and the poor little red ones are losing the battle for nesting places, food and all other squirrelling little requirements! I’m living in Germany at the moment though I’m from Britain, and, I’ve NEVER seen a grey squirrel here but lots and lots of red ones. I wanna put a pair of red squirrels in my suitcase this christmas and take ’em home to mate in my mum’s garden!
Seriously, I think the UK should look at importing more red squirrels from Europe to boost the population in the UK. It’ll be really sad if they become extinct in the UK.
The radio program was probably referring to the Mount Graham red squirrel in Arizona. It is found only in a tiny part of a single mountain range, and was once believed to be extinct.
What can be done about it? Quit suppressing the wildfires that create squirrel habitat and quit building vaction homes and resorts in the few remaining places where the squirrel lives.
There’s a little confusion here because there are 2 red squirrels on different continents and they’re different squirrels.
In the UK, the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) is endangered. Apparently the gray squirrel introduced from North America seems to be outcompeting it.
In the US, the red squirrel (Tamaisciurus hudsonicus) seems to be doing fine.
Let’s make a trade… The UK gives the US back our gray (grey) squirrels, and the US will give the UK back their House Sparrows and starlings!
yes very and it’s disappearing fast! the only thing that can be done is to shoot the grey squirrels! this is done in the lake district and that’s one of the few places that you can definately see a red squirrel.
i think they r because humans have no respect for animals
The red squirrel is endangered and has been for some time. The
introduction of the grey squrrel (which just happens to be more
crap from america) is forcing the native red further north. It is
more agressive than the red and it also carries a virus which is
lethal to the red.