Grey vs. Red: Scotland to Kill One Squirrel Breed to Save the Other
Conservationists are aghast at a plan to kill thousands of grey squirrels across Scotland in order to allow the red squirrel population room to grow.
“There are alternatives to a cull,” said Ross Minett of the UK’s Advocates for Animals. “There needs to be more research into immunocontraception for greys and there could be a focus on improving the red squirrel habitat.”
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Red squirrels once outnumbered the grey variety but now they are seldom found anywhere but Scotland, where 75% of red squirrels live. Grey squirrels were introduced to Scotland in 1876 and have flourished since, growing to a population of 300,000 — twice that of the red squirrel.
Grey squirrels are stronger and have a better juvenile survival rate, but are also responsible for spreading squirrel pox to red squirrels, which are vulnerable to the disease.
The nearly $2 million plan to kill the animals, called Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, has been organized by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland and the landowners’ group Scottish Rural Property and Business Association.
Scotland’s Environment Minister Michael Russel chimed in with his support, saying the reds must be saved because of their beauty.
“The red squirrel is one of our most beautiful and valuable native species and Scotland is one of the few sanctuaries it has left,” he said. “Since its introduction to the British Isles, the grey squirrel has gradually taken over with its more aggressive feeding habits, meaning that the red is now endangered. We must act now.”
But the general public does not believe killing the grey species is an appropriate measure to take. According to a survey conducted by Advocated for Animals, less than 1 in 3 Scotts agrees with the plan.
“We believe that lethal control of greys simply because they are ‘alien’ cannot be supported.,” reads the organization’s website. “Like many non-indigenous species, grey squirrels were introduced to Britain by man, and it is simply unethical to cause suffering to individual animals which are in the ‘wrong’ place due to the carelessness or ignorance of previous generations of humans.”
Advocacy for Animals and other animal welfare groups support the development of a vaccine as a more humane solution to the problem.
Photo Credits: Gilles Gonthier and gibffe on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
According to a survey conducted by Advocated for Animals, less than 1 in 3 Scotts agrees with the plan.
Show us the proof then!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! about these 1 in 3 agree withthe plan
Should conservation be culled?
The grey squirrel cull in the north of Scotland is a waste of taxpayers’ money at a time when the country is falling apart in economic turmoil. Has the Scottish Government nothing better to do with its money?
Grey squirrels have the ability to reproduce within weeks and quickly move into areas that have been “cleared” so the claim that they can be exterminated over a wide area is complete nonsense.
Conservationists tell us that grey squirrels are the “cause” of the red squirrel decline through the transmission of squirrel-pox virus (SQPV) but there is no firm evidence to support this. It is merely speculation presented as fact. Squirrel pox has been rife in red squirrel populations long before they had contact with greys.
In Merseyside, a buffer zone has been in place for a number of years where grey squirrels are killed. However, increased human exploitation of red squirrels for tourism and the frequent intrusion by conservationists for monitoring population levels was always likely to lead to stress and loss of condition of the shy and reclusive red squirrel resulting in an increased susceptibility to disease. The recent announcement that the red squirrel population has declined by 90% in the past two years is hardly surprising.
In short, fewer grey squirrels with more conservation and tourist intrusion have resulted in a massive decline in the red squirrel population – definitely not the predicted outcome.
It is not insignificant that the greatest number of red squirrels in the UK live in the least human populated areas – the Highlands of Scotland.
The conservationists’ catastrophic policy for the survival of red squirrels in Merseyside has gone badly wrong and incredibly our government is advocating more of the same against grey squirrels as the solution in Scotland.
Government should learn from the mistakes of others; not copy them.
This is as bad as the conservation projects for the Californian and Andean condors, if not worse. It’s like those idiots crying about global warming and the loss of polar bears. It’s called natural selection. The reason the gray squirrels are taking over is because the environment favors them. By killing them off in order to “save” the red squirrels, aren’t we messing with the environment and the natural order of things? We’re so high on ourselves that we overlook the real, natural progression of things and try to stop them, thinking we’re doing something good. Like the condors, perhaps the red squirrel’s time is up and it is time for the dominant species to go on. Spending money on saving them is futile. Spend that money somewhere else where it’s needed, idiots. Don’t use it on trying to stop something that’s going to happen anyways. You can’t stop Nature!
I think that they should have breeding projects to save the red squrriels. Regaurdless of the amount of greys. Maybe through breeding they can come up with a “subspecies” or mutation of red squirrel that is less subseptable to squirrel pox.
I agree with Renee for the most part, except the fact that the whole reason the greys are here and taking over is because of… you guessed it, man interfering with nature. However, what I want to say goes out to those who are saying it’s cruel and unethical to kill some greys to save the reds… Listen, either way some squirrels are going to die. Either some of the grey ones in what (I hope) would be a fairly humane manner, or the red ones through starvation and disease.
Hands off the adorable gray squirrels, you despicable barbarians in Great Britain! The real reason you barbarians kill those beautiful-in-and-out animals is your animosity toward the American people. You barbarians consider those valuable animals the AMERICAN INVASION! The gray squirrels DO NOT eradicate the super-adorable red squirrels. Red squirrels simply run away from the grays, as the latter are stronger genetically. The way to preserve the reds is to focus ON THEM, not to focus murderously on the grays. The number one killer of the squirrels are the bandit-drivers on the streets and roads. Conduct an educational campaign for them to stop killing squirrels. Put up “STOP for squirrels” road signs. Exterminate natural killer of squirrels – raccoons, hawks, falcons, eagles, etc. Protect and feed everywhere the adorable squirrels; ALL OF THEM!