Blog: Grey squirrels

2021-10-25 | Developing a grey squirrel feeder for targeted contraceptive delivery
How can an oral contraceptive be fed to 2.5 million grey squirrels? Research to develop an oral contraceptive for grey squirrels is now entering its fourth year. As these contraceptives may affect other mammals, one of the most important parts of the research is to design a bait hopper that only grey squirrels can feed from. This is a summary by researcher Sarah Beatham on some of the work carried out with Northumberland red squirrel community groups this summer, to test if red squirrels and other animals could be prevented from feeding from the hoppers....

2021-05-11 | Grey squirrel tree damage evidence
UK Squirrel Accord is gathering visual evidence of grey squirrel bark stripping damage to broadleaf trees. We are looking for photos or videos of bark stripping in action, or the subsequent damage caused to trees. If you can help, please get in touch and email images or footage directly to info@squirrelaccord.uk or use Wetransfer to send larger files. Grey squirrels bark strip trees between April and August each year. Damage to trees can be more obvious at this time of year, as vulnerable tissues are newly exposed beneath the protective outer bark....

2021-01-20 | Managing invasive non-native grey squirrels to safeguard our native red squirrels and woodland biodiversity
An invasive non-native species (INNS) is one that has a negative impact on the environment, economy or our health and our way of life. Globally, INNS are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss, contributing to 40% of animal extinctions that occurred in the last 400 years.[1] There are 30 invasive non-native animal species listed as a concern in the UK because of their invasiveness and ability to establish successfully, often to the detriment of native species[2]....

2020-02-14 | Protecting the UK's trees from grey squirrel damage - House of Lords debate
Grey squirrels are damaging important broadleaf trees and causing local extinctions of the native red squirrel. The oral contraceptive being researched by the UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) is seen as a new hope for protecting tree health from this invasive species. The grey squirrel situation is so serious that it was part of a key House of Lords debate on threats from tree pests and diseases - 13 February 2020 - and was directly highlighted by 14 of the 24 speakers....

2019-11-28 | Biggest threat to the National Forest – grey squirrels
Grey squirrel bark stripping threatens trees and all the hard work people have put in to grow the National Forest over the last 25 years. The National Forest Company is working to develop a landscape-scale approach to managing grey squirrels to protect woodland. The National Forest is a 200 square mile area of the Midlands that has been the focus of mixed, native woodland planting for the last 25 years. Much of the land was restored from mining, quarrying and landfill....

2019-11-24 | A new hope for grey squirrel management - fertility control research update
The UK Squirrel Accord (UKSA) partnership is fundraising for research into an oral contraceptive to tackle the negative impacts the invasive non-native grey squirrel causes to native red squirrels and broadleaf trees. As thousands of trees are planted during National Tree Week 2019, we celebrate our success towards developing a new method to help protect those trees from grey squirrel bark stripping damage. The research into the immunocontraceptive is being carried out by the well-respected Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)....