Red squirrels ‘to vanish’ because of exploding surge of grey squirrels who carry virus

Squirrelbox is lethal for reddish squirrels (Image: Getty)

Red squirrels volition vanish from England precise soon if the authorities does not money a vaccine against squirrelbox, it has been warned. 

The informing was issued by 1 of the biggest conservation groups of the red squirrel. Squirrelpox which is lone lethal to reddish squirrels, is said to person been carried by 70% of non-native grey squirrels. 

The English colonisation of the grey squirrels is said to person surged this year, triggered by warmer winters which alteration mating pairs to provender and breed passim the full year.

Penrith and District Red Squirrel radical covers 600 quadrate miles of Cumbria. Founder, Robert Benson said: “We’re facing a immense surge of grey squirrels.”

Robert Benson founded the radical 40 years agone erstwhile the archetypal grey squirrel was discovered successful the region. 

He added: “We deliberation they are breeding 3 oregon 4 times a year, and having 4 oregon 5 kits each time, starring to a monolithic enlargement successful grey squirrel numbers: 15 oregon 20 young grey squirrels are moving done the countryside [each year], from each breeding pair.”

The conversationist shared that a fig of Red Squirrels person been mislaid from each region successful England but Cumbria and Northumberland, explaining that the grey squirrels “out-compete them for nutrient and territory". 

Squirrel extortion groups successful those regions are successful request of urgent assistance from the authorities to power the colonisation of grey squirrels. He said: “We are astatine the ember face. England is nether utmost heat, and successful owed course, Scotland volition beryllium threatened successful the aforesaid way.”

Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group is 1 of the galore groups crossed Cumbria and Northumberland moving to conserve the reddish squirrel population.

Grey squirrels are damaging experts accidental (Image: Getty)

However, what the groups request is for the authorities to put successful processing a vaccine against squirrelbox portion determination is inactive a “viable population” of reddish squirrels alive. Robert Benson believes if the authorities bash not intervene soon, “we won’t person reddish squirrels successful England, and astir apt successful the United Kingdom, due to the fact that Scotland excessively volition go". 

Robert Benson said: “If it wasn’t for the enactment we do, the reddish would already person disappeared from this portion of the world.”

Squirrelpox being contiguous successful the squirrel colonisation causes the disappearance of reddish squirrels to summation rapidly and the fig of grey squirrels to turn up to 25 faster. 

He added: “They [grey squirrels] origin harm to spot too, by getting into lofts and outhouses, chewing done plumbing and electrics. Yet I’m acrophobic that the conservation of reddish squirrels seems to beryllium a debased precedence for the government.”