To mark Red Squirrel Appreciation Day (21st January), the Red Squirrel Survival Trust has announced that Islander Alan Titchmarsh has joined their battle to save 1 of our most endangered species.
Currently, the Isle of Wight is 1 of only a few locations in England where native red squirrels predominate.
A method of fertility control that will significantly reduce Britain’s 2.7 million alien grey squirrel population is entering the final stages of research, which will be followed by landscape field trials and, it is hoped, it will be commercially available shortly after.
Alan will be working to encourage gardeners to plant trees and shrubs, which will help feed our native red squirrels that will repopulate areas vacated by the declining grey population.
Alan is an ambassador of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, and together they have identified these vital food sources. The initial aim is to encourage gardeners in and around areas that have existing red squirrel populations to plant these growing larders. The red population will extend and, as this happens, more gardeners will be encouraged to plant out in their support.
RSST’s research partners within the UK Squirrel Accord have developed a special dispenser that grey squirrels can only access to contain the fertility control agent. These will be installed in major woods and forests across the UK and will also be available to private garden owners.
Red Squirrel Survival Trust’s Vanessa Fawcett says:
“It is likely that the grey squirrel population will be significantly reduced as a result of people implementing the fertility control programme. Many greys carry a pox that is harmless to them but fatal to reds, and we try to prevent them from mixing.
Article continues below this advertisement “The reds will quickly re-populate areas vacated by the greys but we have to ensure a plentiful source of food, and this is where Alan has been extremely helpful.”
Alan Titchmarsh has said:
“The most popular growing food sources are acorns, walnuts, hazelnuts, conifer seeds, holly berries, crab apples, wild and bird cherries, Bullace, Dogrose and Guelder rose hips, blackberries and raspberries. They also love sunflower hearts.
“These trees and shrubs are suitable for gardens of all sizes and by planting them now they will grow and mature and be ready for when the red squirrels come home.”
“A plentiful supply of appropriate food and fresh water is essential for the reds to breed. We need a rapidly growing population to repopulate areas of the country that have not seen them for half a century. This is an ongoing programme that, we hope, will ultimately expand across the whole of the UK.
“Red squirrels have lived here for more than 10,000 years and were our only squirrels. That was until the mid-1800s when a small number of grey squirrels from America were released in a handful of parks and country estates as a novelty species. The rest is history, but we are now hoping to reverse this”.
I hope the introduction and encouragement of large birds of prey don’t decimate our red squirrels as I have found evidence at Ashey of just a tail left under a tree where such birds rest.
Also I hope the species targeted contraception works well, perhaps they could test run this in London to alleviate many of the woes happening their before risking innocent wildlife.
Remember when myxomatosis was hailed as the ‘cure’ to over breeding rabbits.
They soon become partially immune and now die a slow, painful vile death.
We must be careful what we ‘do’ to the innocent animals.
Can’t agree more, test it on Londonder’s.
What an awful thing to say.
I suggest you go & see the new Tom Hanks film!
We have red squirrels feeding from or feeder every day it’s fascinating watching them
Wow what amazing photos of these beautiful animals.
Well done to the photographers
These are beautiful creatures we love going out as a family and looking for them on our walks loving the images used in this article
A bit rich from an advocate of fox hunting!! Shame on you Al and the first thing you wanted when you moved here was a, tree chopped down because it spoilt your view!! The Council refused, and as an Islander I am fusyy about who I adopt.
My garden with its many oaks and hazel is a haven for the reds. I put hazel nuts in feeders for them but all they do is bury them and then forget where they’re buried. Peanuts are the only nut they eat at the feeder itself.