This poor lady didn’t close her loft hatch properly and the squirrel got into the flat,” recalls John Silby, a 58-year-old pest controller. “She thought she’d been burgled. The telly was off the wall, plates were smashed, furniture was ripped. We put traps in. When we went back and opened the door, we could smell […]
Tag: grey squirrel
The Adorable Pine Marten Is Making a Comeback in England
A cat-sized predator known as a pine marten has started to make a comeback in the south of England after teetering on the brink of extinction. It is hoped that doing so will help restore some balance to the forests between red squirrels and grey squirrels. The good news comes after scientists found evidence pine […]
Three Bear Cubs Have A Blast On A Backyard Hammock
Nature is all around us – even in our backyards. We all get to experience a number of different wildlife visitors to our backyards throughout the year depending on where we live. Personally, where my parents live in California, they see a lot of birds – obviously – and opossums. They also see the occasional […]
UK Research has shown that grey squirrel numbers can be effectively controlled using oral contraceptives
Research has shown that oral contraceptives for squirrels are effective, and the government is hoping to utilize them to control squirrel populations in the UK. Since being brought to the UK from North America in the 1870s, grey squirrels have become an invasive species. They are an issue for animals, notably red squirrels, who are […]
Ministry of Defence use pine martens to control the grey squirrel population
The Ministry of Defence has joined the fight against grey squirrels. The Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) has installed pine marten den boxes at the Kirkcudbright Training Area. Non-native grey squirrels have displaced reds on the Balmae area of the site near Dundrennan but research has shown where pine martens are encouraged the more cautious reds flourish. There […]
Mutilated squirrels found dead hanging on telegraph pole in Sevenoaks
The RSPCA is appealing for information following the distressing discovery of two squirrels hanging in Sevenoaks. The pair of grey squirrels were discovered 15ft up a telegraph pole in Watercress Drive on Sunday (November 7). Upon being discovered by a member of the public, both squirrels were missing the tip of their tails which were […]
Scottish forests could save red squirrel from extinction
Twenty forest strongholds in Scotland would save the red squirrel from extinction even if grey squirrels were to colonise the whole of Britain, according to research. Since their introduction from North America by Victorian enthusiasts, grey squirrels have pushed red squirrels out of much of the country, with reds outcompeted by the bigger greys and […]
POLL: Should invasive animal species, which have cost UK economy more than £5bn over past 50 years, be culled?
Alien invaders in the shape of animals and plants have cost the UK more than £5billion over the past 50 years, researchers estimate. The grey squirrel, European rabbit and Japanese knotweed are among the newcomers placing a financial strain on the economy. And they warn that the cost ‑ one of the highest in Europe […]