£13,000 to protect red squirrels from their grey cousins
17/06/2010 09:27:35
ENTHUSIAST: Jeanne Casken, founder of the squirrel group
Squirrel buffer zone will help prevent encroachmentJune 2010: The Forestry Commission has stepped in with a £13,000 over three years to help combat the spread of grey squirrels near a Northumberland red squirrel reserve.
The cash has been pledged to the Upper Wansbeck and Coquetdale Red Squirrel Group and will support the humane control of greys in part of a five kilometre buffer zone around Harwood Forest reserve, near Rothbury, 30 miles north of Newcastle.
Buffer zones are a key part of efforts to protect reds from encroachment by their grey cousins, which were introduced into the UK from North America in the 19th century. The grant is the first made to the group, which was established last year by retired charity worker Jeanne Casken, from Holystone, and farmer David Wood, from Whinney Hill Farm, Longhorsley.
Jeanne - who is also a volunteer with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust - moved from Derbyshire five years ago and has a passion for Northumberland and its wildlife.
 |
UNDER THREAT: Grey squirrels carry a virus that
can be lethal to reds
|
There has been an alarming rise in greys
She said: ‘I got involved by collecting sightings of red squirrels in Upper Coquetdale for the Trust and since then I've been keen to get more involved in conservation efforts. This grant is really timely as we have seen an alarming rise in greys spotted just outside the buffer zone and 56 have been culled in the last three months in a 20 acre area of woodland close to Brinkburn. We are faced with a simple choice as greys carry a pox virus lethal to reds.'
The new grant spread over three years will pay for an experienced trapper to work on land within the buffer zone owned by a local farmer.
Richard Pow, from the Forestry Commission's North East region, said: ‘We have 17 red squirrel reserves in northern England and the work undertaken in the buffer zones is vital. Jeanne and David have shown tremendous initiative in getting a local group going and securing this crucial grant. This is the first time we have funded a group, rather than a specific landowner, to co-ordinate conservation work and we think this model has a big future. Support from the local community makes a massive difference in improving the prospects for reds in Coquetdale.'
Read the comments about this article and leave your own comment
It is not racism to favour red over grey squirrels. They are different species (speciesism?).
We will never know whether a stronger red population would have survived better but why should we not try to conserve the ones we have?
Should Australia have let rabbits overrun its native species? Would the world be a better place if introduced species wiped out natives? I think it would be a less interesting place.
Posted by: Sue | 22 Jul 2010 15:15:14
If racism exists in the animal world then this is a good example of it, Red Squirrels are being treated a lot better than Grey ones.
Consider all those rare and fragile animals that are being exploited into extinction, when a species is fruitful we turn against it, I think this has happened here with the red and grey squirrels.
Posted by: TempleGod | 23 Jun 2010 18:05:19
Through no fault of their own the greys are killed. We mess things up and then blame the introduced animal.
Unfortunatly the reds were having a hard time before the greys arrived. They were hunted because they were pests. I remeber reading somewhere there were red squirrel hunting clubs.
I always wonder what would have happened if the red squirrel population had been a lot stronger when the greys arrived. Would a stronger population have survived better?
Posted by: Amanda | 19 Jun 2010 09:13:58