Species - Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Location - Various
Grid Ref - Various
The Grey Squirrel was first introduced into the UK in the 1870’s, since then they have colonised around most of the UK to the detriment of the resident Red Squirrel. Larger than red squirrels and capable of storing up to four times more fat, grey squirrels are better able to survive winter conditions. They produce more young and can live at higher densities. Gray squirrels also carry the squirrel pox virus to which red squirrels have no immunity. When an infected grey squirrel introduces squirrel pox to a red squirrel population, its decline is 17-25 times greater than through competition alone.
The introduction of Pine Martens to certain areas have addressed the balance a bit as reds are able to evade the Pine Marten easier than the Grey.
Grey Squirrels can be a problem at many bird feeders and some ingenious methods have been devised to prevent the squirrels getting to the bird food.
In the UK, if a Grey squirrel is trapped, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, it is illegal to release it or to allow it to escape into the wild; instead, because it is classed as an invasive species it should be humanely destroyed.
