Fight to save red squirrels given £300,000 boost

The fight to save a "vulnerable" red squirrel population in Merseyside from a fatal virus has been boosted by a grant of £300,000.

Last month conservationists sounded the alarm over an outbreak of squirrel pox along the Sefton coastline, particularly in Formby, which hosts one of the largest remaining populations in England.

The disease is spread by invasive non-native grey squirrels, who carry the virus without developing symptoms.

Lancashire Wildlife Trust has now secured the funding from the Natural England Species Recovery Programme to deliver "vital conservation action".

During the last major outbreak in 2008, Formby's red squirrel population fell by an estimated 80%.

The disease causes painful lesions and shivering, making it difficult for red squirrels to eat or move, and is usually fatal within two weeks.

The virus is difficult to track before it causes significant harm because it spreads among grey squirrels without any visible signs.

Heather Harris, from the Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said: "Following the recent squirrel pox outbreak in Merseyside, we are reminded just how vulnerable our red squirrel populations remain, and how quickly decades of conservation efforts can be put at risk.

"Natural England's funding will strengthen our ability to respond rapidly to such threats and work to create more resilient habitats."

The trust said red squirrels have suffered a "catastrophic" population decline over the past century - largely due to competition for food and territory from imported grey squirrels, as well as the spread of disease.

From a population once numbered in the millions, there are an estimated 287,000 left scattered across Britain, about 70% of which are found in Scotland.

Those that remain live in "increasingly fragmented, isolated, and vulnerable" populations, the trust said.

It warned that without "sustained efforts", the entire red squirrel population could disappear within the next 10 years.

The boost in funding will enable Lancashire Wildlife Trust to increase "grey squirrel management" across the region and respond quicker to threats at crucial red squirrel sites, it said.

It will also allow the trust to launch community tree-planting initiatives to increase natural food availability for red squirrels.

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