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The sale of grey squirrel meat in London causes controversy

john — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:52:15 +0000

An independently-owned Budgens grocery store in North London has started the sale of grey squirrel meat sourced from the County of Essex. However, this has been criticised by opponents such as VIVA – Vegetarians Voice for Animals – saying that this is a barbaric and needless cull and what gruesome product will be next to grace our food aisles, blackbird, field mouse or mole? Large numbers of the introduced grey squirrel are culled throughout Britain to prevent damage to trees and to help conserve the native red squirrel. The story has appeared in several media outlets: BBC News, ITN, The Independent, Virgin Media, Asylum.

Attractive piebald, grey squirrel seen in Somerset, England

john — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 09:00:21 +0000

An attractive piebald grey squirrel, with a dark, russet head, silver white back and sides and grey tail was photographed by Dennis Hawker feeding on a bird table in Somerset, England in June 2010 – the photograph has been placed in the Gallery. Apparently, the squirrel has been a regular visitor to the garden during the summer. It would be interesting to know if anyone else has seen unusually coloured squirrels, other than albino and dark or melanic forms.

Man fined for killing grey squirrel in England has wider implications

john — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 09:16:58 +0000

In July, a man was given a 6 months conditional discharge from Burton-upon-Trent Magistrates’ Court in Staffordshire, Central England and ordered to pay £1,547 to cover investigation and legal fees incurred by the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) for killing a grey squirrel. The man had trapped the squirrel in a cage trap and drowned it in a water butt because it kept taking food from his bird table. The RSPCA brought the case under the Animal Weldfare Act 2006 and the man admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal last December. The landmark ruling is seen by the RSPCA as a test case that could have implications for the control of grey squirrels with respect to other activities such as tree damage prevention and red squirrel conservation. The story has been widely discussed in the media: BBC News UK; Telegraph; Metro; Burton Mail; Burton Mail(2).

Squirrels and ‘nuts’

john — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 09:00:07 +0000

Seeing how a grey squirrel escaping ‘death by car’, Natalie Angier recently wrote a piece in the New York Times about the fascination that these animals have for biologists in USA.

Red squirrels making a comeback

john — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 08:33:18 +0000

This is the headline of a BBC News article (reported on 16th February 2010) that arises from the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) conference held recently in Perth. For example, there are signs of a revival of red squirrels in parts of NE Scotland and it is believed that controlling the grey squirrel intruders is having a positive effect.

Grey squirrels have no significant impact on woodland birds in England

john — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 10:37:56 +0000

A recent study by scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology and Natural England (also see Publications page under Permanent articles) found no evidence that grey squirrels have any significant impact of woodland birds in England. This puts to rest the long held view by some that grey squirrels have been responsible for the marked decline in many woodland bird species in recent years. The scientists used long-term monitoring data for grey squirrels and 38 bird species from across the country and found that, although occasionally grey squirrels may locally suppress populations of some bird species, overall they have little impact on numbers. The story has been published on the BBC ‘Earth News‘ website.

Squirrel kills fruit bat

john — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:08:00 +0000

It has been reported that a Svynnerton’s bush squirrel (Paraxerus vexillarius) was seen killing a fruit bat of the species Epomophorus wahlbergi in the canopy of Mwofwomero Forest, in the Rubeho Mountains, Tanzania. It is not clear what caused the squirrel to attack the bat. This unusual siting was reported on the BBC Earth News.

Prince Charles launches the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST)

john — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 10:42:19 +0000

HRH The Prince of Wales launched the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST) on 3rd April 2009 at Levens Hall, Near Kendall in Cumbria, NW England. Prince Charles is a patron of the Trust which is a UK charity established to secure the conservation and protection of red squirrels in the UK.

Scottish red squirrel strongholds consultation

john — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 06:59:31 +0000

The concept of strongholds form part of the Scottish Government’s strategy to conserve the red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, in Scotland. Forestry Commission Scotland sought views on the proposals in a consulation exercise that closed on 26th June 2009. Details of the consultation can be found on the FC website.

Red squirrels released in Wester Ross, NE Scotland

john — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 09:00:14 +0000

As a boost to their conservation, more than 30 red squirrels were released into the 13,355 ha Dundonnell Estate in Wester Ross in January. The scheme to re-establish them in the area was the idea of the Rice family, who own the Dundonnell Estate, with advice from wildlife consultant Roy Dennis. The release was featured in Widlife Extra.