In popular myth they are an aggressive new “super” species pushing out the grey squirrel just as it has displaced the red squirrel. But the black squirrels seen scampering through southern England are a form of grey squirrel created by wild interbreeding between greys and fox squirrels in North America, according to research. Black squirrels […]
Tag: grey squirrel
POLL: Should wildlife hunting contests be permitted in Idaho?
U.S. land managers approved a recreation permit on Thursday allowing a controversial hunting contest open to children to take place on public lands in Idaho, where contestants will seek to kill the most wolves and other wildlife for cash and prizes. The hunting group Idaho for Wildlife requested the permit for the so-called predator derby to take […]
Five squirrels separated after tails got entangled in ‘Gordian Knot’
Five squirrels whose tails became tangled together in a “Gordian Knot” in their nest have been freed by a wildlife team in Wisconsin. The group of young grey squirrels were found with their tails entangled together with grass and plastic their mother had used as nest material. An animal rehabilitation team spent 20 minutes trying […]
Pine marten spotted in Kielder forest for first time in 90 years
The pine marten, a fearsome but diminutive predator driven to extinction in England, has returned to the country’s largest forest for the first time since 1926. Stills and video from a camera trap have recorded a mature pine marten devouring peanut butter put out for red squirrels at a secret location in Kielder forest, Northumberland. […]
Pine Martens Could Save the UK’s Red Squirrel Population
The reintroduction of pine martens in Scotland has been controversial, but data from a new study revealsa potential bonus: These cat-sized predators could help the beleaguered red squirrel to bounce back. The study, which appears this month in the journal “Proceedings of the Royal Society B,” suggests that while pine martens prey on red squirrels, […]
POLL: Should invasive animal species be controlled by drowning?
One can understand New Zealand’s apparent frustration with invasive Australian brushtail possums. One can conjure up genuine sadness for the damage the possums cause through their unwavering appetite for birds’ eggs and one can feel real concern for the plight of the native species being edged out. Like many invasive species, they are a nightmare […]
‘Kill them, kill them, kill them’: the volunteer army plotting to wipe out Britain’s grey squirrels
One snowy dawn in March, I went hunting for squirrels in the Lake District. In the silent and empty woods beneath the Aira Force waterfall, the only thing moving was a solitary red squirrel, balanced on a nut-filled feeder hanging from a tree. If you grew up, as I did, with the grey squirrel, seeing […]
POLL: Should the Wildlife Trust’s campaign to slaughter grey squirrels be stopped?
An army of 5,000 volunteers is being sought to save the red squirrel from extinction by monitoring populations, educating children – and bludgeoning grey squirrels to death. The Wildlife Trusts’ biggest-ever recruitment drive is focused on areas of northern England, north Wales and Northern Ireland where invasive grey squirrels first introduced by the Victorians are […]
