Saving Scotland's red squirrels

Added at 21:42 on 01 July 2024

We are very fortunate that the Scottish Wildlife Trust has appointed Meja Vesterlund as the  Monitoring and Control Officer for our area. 

A message from Meja.

Rhu and Shandon is a vital area, as it sits on the boundary between the grey populations of the Central Belt, and the core red squirrel only areas of Argyll and the Highlands. The project’s aim is to defend red squirrels from grey incursion north, by carrying out targeted grey squirrel control in the region.

Invasive non-native grey squirrels pose the greatest threat to the survival of red squirrels due to outcompeting them for food and living space. Some grey squirrels also harbour the squirrelpox virus, which is lethal to red squirrels without affecting greys. The disease is likely to continue spreading northwards throughout Scotland’s grey squirrel populations.

SSRS is a nationally co-ordinated effort to save Scotland’s red squirrels, the UK’s only native squirrel species, which could yet become extinct on mainland Scotland if current action to protect it ceases. The project is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot, along with project partners.

To find out more about getting involved, and how you can help Rhu and Shandon’s local reds visit: https://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/