THE PLIGHT OF SQUIRREL NUTKINS-THE RED SQUIRREL.

More years ago than I care to remember, as a young naturalist discovering the countryside and its inhabitants it was not unusual to see the animal , Immortalised in children's books,-the red squirrel. Now decades later I would have to visit the woodlands of Cumbria and Northumberland  or travel across the border into Scotland to see this beautiful animal in the wild occurring naturally in any significant numbers. It is worth noting that the red squirrel nature reserve at Formby, close to the Sefton coast {Merseyside} are doing an admirable job of keeping a population stable within the confines of the reserve.

The red squirrel is today included on the Red List of conservation concern and so as attained the status of Priority Species and as such a Species Action Plan  {S.A.P.} has been formulated and is now being implemented by various conservation bodies under the auspice of the U.K. Biodiversity Action Plan {B.A.P.}.

So what are the reasons for the red squirrels plight? Whenever, conservation of the red squirrel is spoken, or written about, inevitably the grey squirrel will be mentioned in detail. In the U.K. the grey squirrel an alien from America, appears every where the red used to flourish, thus they are generally blamed for the reds' demise. In this the case? The debate among naturalists is whether the larger, more adaptable grey has drove the red out or merely filled the gap vacated by the reds' misfortune.

As always other complex factors all contribute to an animals decline. For instance let us study the life style and habits of the native red squirrel . An important factor is their diet. red squirrels are seed eaters and they rely heavily on pine cones but they will also eat the seeds out of the cones of larch and spruce. other sources include fungi, berries and young shoots. In spring and summer they will also take birds eggs. The larger grey is far more adaptable being able to survive much easier in broad-leaved woodland where they can be seen regularly scurrying along branches in their quest for food. Grey squirrels will take beech nut, hazel nut, horse-chestnut fruit { conkers } and acorns. They are not afraid to find food at ground level, while the red is much more arboreal by nature.

Food does not only affect their day to day survival but has an important baring on their breeding success. If there is a dearth of food available during the autumn the following seasons breeding success will be poor. The heavier the female is before she becomes pregnant the larger the litter is, and the more likely the young are to survive. 

It is a popular misconception that squirrels hibernate for they do not, thus ,they rely on hidden food stocks to see them through the coldest months. To this end studies have shown that the grey has a much better memory recall than the red, again another example of their superiority.

Another factor is predators, birds of prey and in particular the goshawk who is a skilled and deadly hunter in coniferous woodland, the reds' favoured habitat. Pine martens also take red squirrels especially the young and weak. Loss of habitat and degradation of habitat is another worrying trend as far as the red squirrel is concerned. But by far the most crucial factor is the squirrel pox virus.

The virus is a particularly nasty disease which kills red squirrels within a matter of weeks of contacting the disease.In red squirrels it causes skin ulcers and lesions, the lesions also discharge from around the eyes, mouth and feet. The hapless creature becomes increasingly lethargic as the disease gets established. These lesions tend to remain in a wet condition, thus , spreading the disease to other reds that come in to contact with a carrier.

Grey squirrels also carry the virus but they have evolved a greater immunity to it and it rarely proves fatal to them. Conversely red populations are effected greatly. Mortality rates of infected reds in the wild are 100%. The first case recorded in the U.k. was confirmed in East Anglia in the 1980s, and was confirmed locally {Lancashire} in 1995/96.

The red squirrel can easily recognised by its russet red coat although colours cab be variable. They are small creatures 180-244mm long; adults weigh about 350g { greys weigh about 500-600gms }. The most recognisable feature is the ear tufts { absent in greys } that give our native species an attractive dainty appearance. The ear tufts are always prominent in winter. The grey species is a stockier more robust creature.

The Species Action Plan for the red squirrel takes all these problems into account. organisations involved in the Plan include Natural England { formerly English Nature } the Forestry Commission, Wildlife Trusts and re squirrel conservation groups nationwide.

The red squirrel has legal protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 { as amended ]. They are a Schedule 5 species which means it is an offence to kill, injure, take, possess or sell any red squirrel or to destroy, damage or obstruct access to any place which they use for shelter, protection or breeding, or to destroy or disturb them while they are there.

Along with the water vole the red squirrel is the U.K.s most threatened mammal species. I sincerely hope that the implementation of the ongoing action plans halt the decline. Should this eventually succeed we, as nature lovers, will owe a great debt of gratitude to the conservation organisations involved. It is hoped that the creature will continue to survive in the wild in order that our grandchildren and their children will have the opportunity to  see them in their natural habitat rather than having to rely on books, as is the case for many children of today.

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