Another species under threat from the Grey Squirrel?

ISSUE 29 OCTOBER 2014

www.europeansquirrelinitiative.org

P u b l i s h e d b y t h e E u r o p e a n S q u i r r e l I n i t i a t i v e

Another speciesunder threat fromthe Grey Squirrel?

ESI newsletter issue 29_Layout 1 27/10/2014 15:34 Page 2

So you can imagine what a blow it waswhen he lost his job. The new Secretaryof State, Liz Truss, may well be just asgood, we shall wait and see but what isabsolutely certain is that the recentlyproposed, and agreed, EU legislation ofInvasive Alien Species will definitely helpconcentrate her mind.

ESI has embarked on a new projectthis summer. Charles Dutton is writing abook that will prove to be invaluable toforestry managers. He announces newresearch as to why Grey Squirrels do thedamage they do and offers solutions tomitigate the huge financial losses thatsquirrels can cause. (Article on page 6).We will let you know when it is available.

We continue to modify theGoodnature Trap and hope that DEFRAwill recognise the significance of thepotential for saving many man hourswith this device and award the trap alicence.

You may be aware that the plantprotection licence, giving us the right tocontrol Grey Squirrels with Warfarin, isabout to expire. The task of renewingthe licence has fallen to the SwedishGovernment who has suggested aninordinately large fee for doing so.Naturally, Killgerm, who are the solemanufacturers of Warfarin for thispurpose, don’t see the point of paying a

huge fee versus a relatively small returnon Warfarin sales. ESI are busilycampaigning to try and find a solution asWarfarin is a critically important controlmethod in large forestry blocks whereno Reds exist. If we can enable thecontinuation of Warfarin we are going torecommend that it should be usedbetween October to May, during theGreys ‘hungry gap’. At the moment youcan only use it between March andAugust.

ESI attended a meeting at DumfriesHouse along with a considerablenumber of other squirrel mindeddelegates such as Natural England,Scottish National Heritage, The WildlifeTrust, The Red Squirrel Survival Trust,The Royal Society for the Protection ofBirds and many more. The meeting wasorganised by RSST with the intention ofpulling everybody together and looselybinding these groups to a plan of actionto save the Red Squirrel. The plan isknown as “The Squirrel Accord.” ESIhave signed up to it and look forward toco-operation between the groups in thehope of facilitating a robust and unifiedapproach to the main threat to the RedSquirrel….. the Grey Squirrel.

George FarrEditor

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Editorial In the distant past you may have heard me bemoan a lack of governmenturgency over the Grey Squirrel problem; but more recently you would havebeen forgiven for detecting a hint of optimism during the tenure of OwenPaterson. He offered a willingness to actually do something to reduce them.

In Brief...

In October the Forest ShowcaseFood and Drink Festival staged theSquirrel Burger Challenge in a bid toget the animal onto the British menu.

The competition was held in theForest Of Dean where more than100,000 grey squirrels have beenblamed for stamping out otherwildlife and destroying trees.

Participants submitted a recipeand 15 finalists were chosen toserve up their version of thecontroversial dish. Each contestantwas handed three locally sourcedsquirrel carcasses and they alladded their own flavours to make aquarter pounder.

SquirrelBurgerChallenge

The Lucky SquirrelFestooned with squirrel traps, rifle slungacross my shoulder and two terriers onthe front, I chugged through thebeautiful woods on my quad bike.When I approached a wood ofhornbeams lying to the east of the Hall,a hot spot for squirrels and where manyhave met their demise, I spied onescurrying in the leaves.

Slipping off my quad I leaned againsta hornbeam. Taking careful aim my

hand slid down the rifle to chamber around, something felt different and Irealised I had left the bolt at home (Iextract the bolts from my rifles for safetyreasons when it is stored).

The squirrel scampered away!That evening over our meal, I told my

wife who erupted with laughter. It tookme a bit longer to see the funny side.Well it was getting near Christmas I toldmyself …… but it didn’t help much.

Jigger Writes...

Jigger is a vermin controller at an estate in Suffolk.


Since publication of the lastnewsletter ESI has been engaged in anumber of activities supportingprojects in the UK as well as theRepublic of Ireland and Italy.

One of the most significantdevelopments has been confirmationfrom the European Commission of theadoption of a Regulation on thePrevention and Management of theIntroduction and spread of Invasive AlienSpecies.

This is a piece of legislation that ESIhas been lobbying hard for. Work on thisbegan initially in 2008 and its adoption bythe commission is a major step forward.The next issue is to ensure that greysquirrels are contained within thelegislation as a species of Union concern.ESI will be working closely withCommission as well as DEFRA to ensurethat this happens.

ESI also welcomed the statement inthe Queen’s speech in June of this yearof a provision for a Bill to allow for aSpecies Control order to control invasivenon-native species. The government’sproposal falls in line with the newapproach from Brussels to treat invasivenon-native species more seriously. As

we have reported in the past it isestimated that the annual cost of the EUalien species is 12 billion Euros.

As you will have read elsewhere in thisedition of squirrel ESI is looking at theimpact the grey squirrel has on dormice.Dr Craig Shuttleworth is looking at whatresearch might be done to learn moreabout this. If it is found that grey squirrelsdo impact on dormice populations itopens up another front in the war againstthe grey squirrel.

ESI continues to be in the vanguardon the Warfarin issue working withlikeminded organisations such as theCountry Land and Business Association,The Royal Forestry Society and Confor.Together we continue to examine a wayforward to secure the future of Warfarinas a method of grey squirrel control. ESIhas tabled parliamentary question toobtain greater clarity from thegovernment on its position and also tosee if there are ways in which thegovernment might assist in providingfunding to help with the relicensing ofWarfarin.

During the last two months ESI hasbeen conducting a review of its activity

and identifying priorities for the next fiveyears. More will emerge in the nextnewsletter however rest assured ESI isdetermined to wage an effective waragainst the grey squirrel and ensure thatgovernment, its agencies and otherbodies both private and public continueto be aware of the threat posed by greysquirrels and the damage they causeboth to the economy and theenvironment.

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If you would be interested in advertisingin Squirrel please contact [email protected] 01394 610022

ESI, East Bank House,Tide Mill Way, Woodbridge,Suffolk, IP12 1BYTel: +44 (0)1394 386919Email: [email protected]

ESI Update – by Andrew Kendall, ESI

ESI Activity

Readers may already know that manyhome insurance providers will not coverfor damage caused by chewing, tearing,scratching or fouling by animals. Thisprovision is the same pretty much across

the board and few contents insurancepolicies will cover for pets.

But did you know that some providerswill not cover for damage caused byinsects, vermin or infestation. Although in

some cases squirrels are specificallyexcluded from the vermin classification. Ifyou live in a grey squirrel area, make sureyou’re covered and squirrel proof yourhome and garden as much as possible.

Andrew Kendall has beeninvolved with ESI since itsfounding in 2002, and is

responsible for the day to dayoperation of the charity.

Check your Home Insurance!


Two decades ago, almost 6500volunteers took part in the Great NutHunt, a pioneering 'Citizen Science'based national hazel dormouse(Muscardinus avellanarius) survey.The project provided volunteers withinformation packs and diagramsillustrating the characteristic ways inwhich different woodland animalsopen the shell of hazel nuts. Armedwith this knowledge, people searchedlocal woodland and recorded thenumber of nuts present in an areaand collected only those which theythought had been opened bydormice. Dr Pat Morris at theUniversity of London then

painstakingly examined each of thesenuts and catalogued whether theshell had indeed been opened by adormouse. The results illuminateddormice distribution in England &Wales, but it also told us somethingabout grey squirrels too.

Of the 172,644 opened nutsdiscovered, Pat and his team report thatvolunteers found most had beenopened by squirrels. Given therestricted range of the native redsquirrel, it was obviously grey squirrelsthat were consuming the majority of theseeds. Only a total of 13171 nuts wereinitially identified as having been gnawedby dormice, but the expert eye later

revealed that in fact only 10% werecorrectly categorised, and 63% hadbeen opened by squirrels.

The evidence indicated that greysquirrels were consuming the majority ofthe nuts found eaten in woodlands.

This finding begs an obvious question'Do grey squirrels have a negative affecton dormice?' Answering this is howevernot as straightforward as at first it mightseem. Both species consume a range offood types, and the dormouse, aspecies protected by European law, isgreatly affected by annual weatherpatterns, and also habitat changeresulting from woodland managementand increasing deer grazing pressures.

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Is Our Native Dormouse UnderThreat From the Grey Squirrel?

Dormouse handled duringresearch in North Wales. ©

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We also know that dormousepopulations persist in grey squirrellandscapes, and in fact have beensuccessfully reintroduced to woodlandscontaining grey squirrels. That said,what we observe in all of the above arepatterns of population dynamics,distribution and abundance measured inthe presence of greys. What wouldhappen if we removed those greysquirrels? Could we then measurechanges in dormouse abundance orsurvival?

There are substantial dormousepopulations on the isle of Wight, anisland without grey squirrels present.This situation offers an opportunity tocompare dormouse survival, breedingand dispersal data against a mainlandsite, or sites, with greys present. Thesehabitats would have to have very similarforest structure and with the same range& composition of bramble, shrub andtree species. A careful selection processcould though provide a uniqueopportunity to examine if, and how,greys impact on the dormouse.

Scientists could also do a trialremoval of grey squirrels from amainland woodland containing dormiceand monitor population parameters hereand within another dormouse populationthis time containing greys. It would alsobe useful to allow grey squirrels to re-colonise dormouse habitats from whichthey had been eradicated in order toreaffirm their impact on the smalleranimals.

Whichever approach was undertakento investigate grey squirrel impacts, thestudies would have to be relatively long-term in order to assess how theavailability of different tree seed affectsthe two rodents populations. Dormicedon't exploit acorn crops, so here wehave a food, in the acorn, that the greysquirrel not only can digest veryefficiently but which also positivelycorrelates with density and productivity.Robert Kenward & Jessica Holmpublished a fabulous piece of researchin 'Proceedings Biological Sciences' Vol.251 (1993) on how acorn and oak

influence grey squirrel populations. Alarge acorn crop in the autumn of Year 1would see higher densities and morejuveniles produced in the following Year2. Should oak produce poor seed inYear 2 then it could lead to increasedcompetition for hazel nuts with dormice.If hazel crops were relatively poor thatautumn then competition could be evenmore intense.

This impact may be a little simplisticgiven the fact that dormice eat a rangeof foods including oak flowers, honeysuckle, bramble, ash keys, sycamoreflowers and thorn fruits, but it at leastprovides an initial aspect to focusresearch upon. Quantifying theabundance and availability of alternativedormouse food items would clearly alsohave to form part of any scientific study.

ESI have identified investigations intothe impact of grey squirrels on theEuropean protected dormouse as aresearch priority. We are reminded onceagain that the non-native grey squirrelpopulation densities are typically x3 tox6 times larger than those of the nativered squirrel, which hints at potentialimpacts on other woodland rodents,perhaps in particular when keyalternative food to hazel are limited.

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Craig Shuttleworth has worked withlandowners and communities

across the UK to encourage thecontrol of grey squirrels and

restoration of native red squirrelpopulations. He manages a grey

squirrel eradication project on theisland of Anglesey.

Grey Squirrel Litter - Studies wouldneed to look at productivity of bothdormice and grey squirrels.

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Bright et al. (1996) A new survey of the DormouseMuscardinus avellanarius in Britain, 1993-4. MammalReview 26: 189-195.

2 Kenward & Holm (1993) On the Replacement of theRed Squirrel in Britain. A Phytotoxic Explanation.Proceedings: Biological Sciences, Vol. 251: 187-194.Craig Shuttleworth. RSST


RSST Update As reported in the last edition ofSquirrel, our major volunteer event ofthe summer was the RSST VolunteerAwards. Held at Warwick Hall, inCumbria on 10th July in nearscorching temperatures, wewelcomed over 70 guests from allover the UK to an afternoon ofcelebration of people power.

We have always recognised thatwithout the passion and commitment ofpeople who care (and have done so formany years) the survival of the redsquirrel would have been a very differentstory to what we are seeing today. Thisis especially evident in Cumbria wherereds are thriving and the network of redsquirrel groups goes from strength tostrength. It would be impossible to list allthe winners in this article but it is worthcelebrating that the top award, TheDavid Stapleford Award, (presented inmemory of David who sadly lost hisbattle against leukaemia shortly afterwinning the top award at the firstawards ceremony in 2012) went to DrRaj Jones of Anglesey. Now home toover 600 reds, Anglesey is, of course,held as the blueprint for red squirrelreintroduction and Raj was instrumentalin pulling the local community andschools into the project. If ever therewas an example of what can beachieved when people put their mindsto it, then surely Raj and the folk of theisland are it. Our congratulations go toRaj and all the other winners on the day– but equally importantly, to all RSvolunteers – everywhere. They are allwinners.

Spring MonitoringOut in the field, we received the

results of the spring 2014 round ofmonitoring. In Northern England thiswas the fifth monitoring survey run bythe Red Squirrels Northern England(RSNE) project over the last three years.

Community volunteers and project stafffound red squirrels in the same numberof sites as during the autumn 2013programme, despite seeing an increase(9%) in the number of sites with greysquirrels. Increases in grey squirreldetection were expected following amild winter and seemingly abundant wildnut and berry supply. They also serve asa stark reminder that red squirrels’ futureon the English mainland is entirely in thehands of committed individuals, groupsand organisations currently workingtogether to conserve reds by managingintermingled non-native grey squirrelpopulations.

Especially interesting this spring is thenew rash of red squirrel sightings in thenorthern Yorkshire Dales (upperSwaledale) and North Pennines(Teesdale, County Durham) where redsquirrels had not been detected sincethe project started in 2012.

FundingThe good news continues on

Merseyside where red presencecontinues to bounce back fromdevastating losses recorded in 2008, asa result of squirrelpox. Reds are pushingfurther afield now and the project teamhave been involved in a national bid forEuropean funds, and the associatedrequired matched funding, so that theymight create an even bigger impact ongrey numbers to allow natural redexpansion beyond the reserve andbuffer zone. Other beneficiaries in thebid include Northern Ireland (alsoworking across the border), NorthWales, other aspects of RSNE, ForestResearch and Newcastle University.With the submission date nearly uponus, we applaud the time and effort thateach of the partners has put into theexercise. We have learned a lot abouteach other as work has been underwayfor some months and the process itselfhas drawn red squirrel conservation in

the UK into a much closer and sharingenvironment. Fingers are now crossedfor a successful outcome which wouldrelease circa £2.2 million into red squirrelconservation between 2016 and 2020.

In Scotland, government funds werereleased for Phase 3 of the SavingsScotland’s Red Squirrels project.However, those funds came with a sternwarning that the level of governmentsupport might not continue at the ratewe had experienced. The time to call onpeople power had come – and the nextphase of the project will demand thatcommunities are engaged, enthusedand equipped to take on theresponsibility of looking after “their” redsquirrels.

In September, RSST launched itssearch to find 500 new “friends”. Ourpartnership with Bedmax, the woodshavings producers, has helped in thisinitiative as they use their website andsocial media to ask their audiences tosupport reds in the UK. It’s an ambitiouscampaign to build awareness as well asvital funds to help us plan for the future.Readers can take part in the challengeby visitingwww.rsst.org.uk/becomeafriend. Why not be one of the 500?

The RSST newsletter contains regularupdates from the projects as well asother red squirrel activity. We would liketo extend a warm welcome to Squirrelreaders to receive our emailednewsletter. This is simply done byvisiting our website www.rsst.org.uk andscrolling down to the left hand corner ofthe home page where you can enteryour email address.

Janet WickensDirector

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UK News


The need for a grey squirrelmanagement handbook is longoverdue, one could say for 50 years.Since the 1950s it has become clearthat the various ‘guidelines’ and‘recommendation’ has at best hadvery limited success or at worst, havefailed to halt the spread of the northAmerican grey squirrel, largely at theexpense of Britain’s native redsquirrel and more generally Britain’swider biodiversity. The need foreffective control of the grey squirrelhas been long established both inBritain, Ireland, Italy and even SouthAfrica.

Since the 1980s and even earlier,there exists a growing body of research,evidence and recommendations bothfrom Britain and around the world thatsuggests a new way of controlling thegrey squirrel. The starting point is forthe landowners/manager/forester to fullyunderstand why grey squirrels damagetrees, what forestry & fruit crops are at

risk and when they are at risk. Alsowhat are the costs of such damage bothin monitory terms and biodiversity terms.

There is much that can be done tomitigate the ravages of the grey squirrel,which have been well researched andpublished, but yet the forest managersseldom hear about.

Various organisations suggest waysin which grey squirrels can becontrolled. The new handbook will lookat all these methods and assess theireffectiveness against costs andrecommend several control methodswhich should suit all situations. Much ofthis information is not new but it is NOTcommon knowledge and the handbookendeavours to bring this widerknowledge together to form a bestpractice guide for those who areinterested in the conservation of ournative biodiversity. The handbookhighlights case study to demonstratewhat consistent control can achieve andhow it supports a wider picture.

The handbook looks at all methods ofcontrol including some natural biologicalcontrol methods and how all thesemethods might come together under theIUCN guidelines.

The author hopes that tree growersand conservationists will have a useableand workable reference book, which canbe used both in the field, wood and forcountryside management. It is alsohoped that the handbook will bring abouta change in the belief that grey squirrelscannot be controlled. This is a myth. Theremoval of grey squirrels has a dramaticimpact on our native wildlife and theirremoval locally, regionally and nationallyhas an enormous impact. The handbookwill hope those to turn the tide.

It can be done, it has been doneelsewhere in the world many times!

Charles Dutton FICForTrustee & Director of ESI and SeniorForestry Manager for Pryor & RickettSilviculture Ltd

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ESI Provides Funding for a Grey SquirrelManagement Handbook


ESI Welcomes EU News onInvasive Alien SpeciesOn the 29th September, the council ofthe European Union adopted aRegulation on the Prevention andManagement of the Introduction andSpread of Invasive Alien Species.

“We are delighted that the council ofEurope has now formally adopted thisRegulation which lays down rules toprevent, minimise and mitigate theadverse impact of invasive alien specieson bio-diversity,” said George FarrChairman of ESI.

The Regulation will lead to theCommission adopting an open list ofinvasive alien species of Union concernwhich will be regularly updated andreviewed. The new Regulation alsocovers invasive alien species of regionalconcern and allows member states toidentify from their national list, speciesthat require enhanced regionalcooperation.

The regulation also establishes asurveillance system for their earlydetection and rapid eradication ofinvasive alien species. Furthermore,member states must provide forpenalties if the Regulation is notcorrectly applied.

The regulation, which is a bindinglegal instrument, will enter into forcefrom 1st January 2015.

George FarrChaiman of ESI

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InternationalNews

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The Cornwall Red Squirrel Projecthas just reached another importantmilestone with the arrival of two redsquirrel kits at Trewithen, nearTruro.

Red squirrels were introduced toTrewithen in March 2012 with twofemales from the Welsh Mountain Zoo,where the National Studbook for redsquirrels is held.

These were joined in July 2012 by amale red squirrel, bred at ParadisePark in Cornwall, and released into theenclosure at Trewithen by HRH ThePrince of Wales. Paradise Park hasbeen very successful over the past 18years, breeding approximately 80 redsquirrel kittens which have either beenreleased as part of red squirrelconservation projects or beenmaintained in the captive breedingpopulation. Now Trewithen will also behelping red squirrel conservation withthe arrival of their two new kittenswhich will be made available throughthe studbook for captive breeding orwild release. The red squirrels atTrewithen live in a specially designedaviary style enclosure which wrapsaround the historic walled garden, andincludes raised wire runs which allowthe squirrels to access sun or shadeon two sides of the walled garden asthey wish.

It’s too early in the progress of theCornwall Red Squirrel Project to knowjust when red squirrels will be able tobe released into the wild, but the hopeis that within a few years’ red squirrels

which have been bred through theNational Studbook breeding schemewill be able to be released into the wildwithin the two project target areas;

The Lizard and West Penwith.Progress removing grey squirrels iscontinuing well and as the second fullseason of grey squirrel removal drawsto a close this autumn statisticalanalysis of the last two years trappingdata will be analysed to assess howgrey squirrel numbers are changing.Signs are hopeful that grey squirrelnumbers are significantly down and soit is hoped the release of reds into thewild is drawing ever closer!

Natasha Collings Cornwall Red Squirrel ProjectCoordinator

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Adult Red Squirrel shownhere in Trewithen

Grey Control Continues in Bid toRelease Reds in Cornwall

Map

Grey Squirrel removal areas


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Adnams Broadside andGrey Squirrel StewThis melt-in-the-mouth stew is a delicious way to preparegrey squirrel meat. A sustainable meat source with a rich andunique flavour, it is perfect as the days grow colder. Werecommend using Adnams Broadside but this could also besubstituted for German Doppelbock beers which alsocompliment the nutty elements of squirrel meat.

Ingredients1 kg grey squirrel meat (2-3 squirrels)

40g all-purpose flour1/2 tin of tomatoes / 1 beef tomato

1 onion, roughly chopped

1 large clove garlic, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

300 ml Adnams Broadside

250 ml beef or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon sea salt

Black pepper to taste

Fresh parsley, chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

InstructionsSift flour and half of the salt and pepper into a bowl. Wash and dice

your squirrel meat, seasoning with the rest of the salt and pepper.

Coat the meat in the flour mixture. Over a high setting, heat oil in a

large frying pan. Add the squirrel pieces to the pan and brown lightly

on all sides for roughly 4 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons of Broadside,

or your stout of choice, along with the tomato, onions and garlic to

the pan. Reduce heat, cover and cook gently for 3 minutes.

Add the carrots, thyme and stock to the pan and pour in the rest of

your stout. Cover partially and let everything simmer for 2½ hours,

stirring occasionally, and adding water if needed. Before serving,

melt in the butter, add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with

chopped parsley.

All rodents (rats, mice and squirrels)can cause damage in roof spaces.There are many things you can do toavoid having a problem with greysquirrels, many of them are simpleand things you can do in your day today life. To reduce the attraction of your homeand garden to squirrels you should:

• Clear up and remove anything in yourgarden which might provide a foodsource for squirrels such as fallen fruitand spilt pet food

• Do not put bird food directly on theground

• Use squirrel proof bird feeders wherepossible. There are a range offeeders available which deter squirrelssuch as the spring loaded feeder asshown here. The weight of raiding

squirrels or larger birds like pigeonsautomatically blocks access to feederports. For more information on theSquirrel Buster Range and otherfeeders go towww.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk

• Cut back tree branches so they donot overhang your property

• Trim wall climbing plants to preventthem reaching from ground to rooflevel. Squirrels are excellent climbersand will utilise anything to accessyour property

• Place protective mesh on redundantchimneys.

Squirrel Prevention inYour Home and Garden

A range of squirrel proof birdfeeders are available from

www.reallywildbirdfood.co.uk


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Grey Squirrel Trapping and Despatch

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There are two kinds of traps available forthe trapping of grey squirrels, those thatare instantly lethal and those that catch

Spring TrapsTunnel trapping, also known as

spring trapping, is effective all yearround.

Spring traps have arms or jawsactivated by strong springs which, whentriggered, close violently around thesquirrel’s neck. Death should beinstantaneous. The use of spring trapsshould be avoided within 10 km of a redsquirrel population.

Cage Traps Cage-traps for squirrels are a box

constructed of wire mesh with one ortwo open ends. The doors are triggeredby a foot plate or hook from which baitmay be suspended.

Poisoning Poisoning is a another method of

grey squirrel dispatch and only trainedoperators can buy warfarin bait. The useof Warfarin in hoppers may only be usedout of doors against grey squirrels fortree protection between 15th March and15th August.

It is a criminal offence to use Warfarinwhere red squirrels persist, unless anapplication is made.

Dispatching of greysquirrels

Once a squirrel has been caught in acage trap, a trapping comb will helpwith the removal or dispatch of thesquirrel to persuade the squirrel to movealong the trap. With the squirrel trappedyou can easily place the Hessian sackover the end of the trap or dispatch witha gun without the squirrel movingaround.

Shooting Shooting at close range through the

cage trap with an air gun is a humanemethod of dispatch.

The sack methodA medium weight Hessian sack is

used to extract the squirrels from thetrap. The exit door is opened andcaptive squirrels are driven, one at atime, into the sack and the exit doorclosed.

The squirrel is then moved into thecorner of the sack and with the headpositioned carefully within the corner,killed rapidly and humanely by a singleblow to the back of the head with ablunt instrument.

Below is an extract from a “guidance note” produced by ESI giving up-to-date advice on trappinggrey squirrels. The full document contains advice on control methods, including trapping andpoisoning, it also highlights the status of both red and grey red squirrels under the law.

A copy of the leaflet can be downloaded from the ESI website: www.europeansquirrelinitiative.orgAlternatively, to request a hard copy, please contact 01394 386919

Red Squirrels have been protectedagainst intentional acts of damageor disturbance since 1981. Subjectto certain exceptions, it is now anoffence to ‘intentionally orrecklessly: kill, injure or take(capture) a Red Squirrel, damage,destroy or obstruct access to anystructure or place which a RedSquirrel uses for shelter orprotection or disturb a Red Squirrelwhile it is occupying a structure orplace which it uses for thatpurpose. Anyone who carries out,or knowingly causes or permitsthese acts to occur could becommitting an offence.


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Another species under threat from the Grey Squirrel?