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Squirrel pox outbreak in Lancashire’s Red squirrels11/11/2009 17:01:22
Lancashire's Red squirrels are under threat from Squirrelpox. Photo credit William Lee. November 2009. The first confirmed case of Squirrel pox virus in Blundellsands has been confirmed this week. This is a devastating blow to conservationists working to protect our endangered Red squirrels. Sally Orritt from the Save our Squirrels campaign said ‘We are working to keep the Grey squirrels away from the Red squirrels, we really need to get our message out loud and clear, anyone who sees a squirrel, Red or Grey, should get in touch.' The Blundellsands population of Red squirrels is at risk because of the Grey squirrels in the Crosby area. Squirrel pox is a threat to all red squirrels, particularly if they come into contact with grey squirrels, the carriers of the virus. Amy Campbell of Lancashire Wildlife Trust works with the public to help save our squirrels. Amy said ‘We rely heavily on the public as our eyes and ears, Reds in the area have made gardens their habitat, if people don't get in touch, we just don't know where the squirrels are to protect as young squirrels disperse around this time of year.' 80% decline in 2009 Fiona Whitfield, Conservation Officer with Lancashire Wildlife Trust said ‘We hope to contain this out break, with the support of the public. We know there are good populations of Red squirrels in both Blundellsands and Altcar and we need to do everything that we can to stop the disease from spreading back up the coast to the recovering populations of Formby and Freshfield. Volunteers are already leafleting local houses so that people know to keep feeders disinfected and to get in touch if they see a squirrel.' Report squirrel sightings 
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Early in the last century, out of forty-four districts in England where red squirrels had the disease only four districts had grey squirrels present. This suggests that SQPV has been within the red squirrel population for around a century at least and that grey squirrels are victims of a campaign of unfair vilification.
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 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.
Posted by: Angus Macmillan | 12 Nov 2009 23:25:37