The Grey Squirrel action plan is published online here. The red squirrel has been in severe decline in the UK but one island has completely eliminated grey squirrels to promote a red resurgence. Red Squirrels United is a three-year project supported by groups including Prince Charles’s Red Squirrel Survival Trust, the European Squirrel Initiative and the UK Squirrel Accord. They’re also significant predators of native adders, a species of major conservation concern, and the extremely rare sand lizard. In 2019, the European Squirrel Initiative released new figures estimating the cost of grey squirrel damage to the forestry industry to be in excess of £40 million a year. The Grey squirrel does not have any legal protection under UK wildlife Law. Useful links; Squirrel-friendly rescue near London; Baby squirrel care sheet; Squirrel diet; Release; Diaries. The cost to UK forestry is estimated to be £10 million per year, including damage to timber caused by the grey squirrel’s habit of stripping bark from trees. If you're having problems with grey squirrels burying food in your lawn, don't put out nuts and other hard foods for birds or squirrels. The introduction of grey squirrels has had a disastrous impact on the UK’s only native squirrel species, the red squirrel. At the end of this year, the best of those being tested will be taken forward for further development. From December, a new law on ‘invasive species’ will also make it illegal to rescue and release non-native animals such as grey squirrels and Muntjac deer. Exclusive: Rescue groups will be breaking law if they nurse a creature back to health and return it to wild There is no requirement on vets to euthanise any injured or healthy squirrels that are brought into rescue centres. WCS Collarum Stainless UK Fox Model manufactured by or under the authority of Wildlife Control Supplies, LLC, P.O. Ecosystem services. Species information. Grey squirrels are active during the day, foraging for food in trees and on the ground – they often visit peanut feeders in gardens. 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. It is now found throughout most of Britain and has largely replaced the native red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris).The decline of the red squirrel has been mostly caused by habitat changes and endemic diseases. Too often the default response to a “problem” animal is simply to kill it. The trap must be set within the artificial tunnel provided by the manufacturer. The test bait, without contraceptives, is attractive to grey squirrels and the hopper currently prevents almost all but the very largest red squirrels from access… Read the response in full. Box 538, East Granby, CT 06026, USA. From December, a new law on ‘invasive species’ will make it illegal to rescue and release ‘non-native’ animals such as grey squirrels and Muntjac deer. That cost includes grey squirrel control, with little evidence that grey control has been economically successful. Share. It’s illegal in the UK for anyone to release grey squirrels into the wild from December 2019. This means that wildlife rescue centres in England which previously took in, rehabilitated and released wild grey squirrels, will instead have to kill them, on both practical and ethical grounds. The trap can be baited with the same food that the squirrel has been feeding on from the bird feeding station. The grey squirrel was introduced into the UK in the 1800s. It provides an easy encounter with wildlife for many people, but can be damaging to woodlands and has contributed to the decline of the red squirrel. But just about everybody accepts the impossibility of eradicating grey squirrels. It is an offence under section 14 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) to introduce and release grey squirrels into the wild. The campaign against grey squirrels is justified by the UK government, which insists that grey squirrels threaten native wildlife and harm the economy. Shooting grey squirrels is legal and can be highly effective in reducing numbers both as part of a wider management scheme and for dealing with particular issues. But that cost also includes money spent on controlling grey squirrels, and there is no link between how much is spent on controlling their numbers and reducing damage to trees. Any grey squirrel caught in a trap must be killed immediately in a humane way. From the end of March, any wildlife rescue or vet that is presented with an injured or orphaned grey squirrel, will, by law, be required to kill it. Greys compete with reds for food and also carry a virus known as squirrelpox. The Grey squirrel does not have any legal protection under UK wildlife Law. Advice Note – Red Squirrels and the Law 2004 by UK Red Squirrel Group Grey squirrel control is a legal activity which does not need to be licensed. What We Do. But we can still work at the legal interpretation of the law. Shooting grey squirrels is legal and can be highly effective in reducing numbers both as part of a wider management scheme and for dealing with particular issues. Shooting. Mammals; Statistics Length: 24-28.5cm Tail: 19.5-24cm Weight: 400-650g Average lifespan: 2-5 years. Cardiff, Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD], Copyright © 2010–2021, The Conversation Trust (UK) Limited. Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. WCS Collarum Stainless UK Fox Model manufactured by or under the authority of Wildlife Control Supplies, LLC, P.O. The trap must be set within the artificial tunnel provided by the manufacturer. EU Regulation 1143/2014 the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 will come into force on 28 March 2019, a day before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU. These actions will remain illegal under the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order in line with the EU Regulation (1143/2014) on invasive alien (non-native) species and domestic policy. The total mass of pheasants released annually exceeds that of the entire breeding population of native birds. Natural England Ref: 2019-100003-SPM-IAS. In this case, greys can be effectively trapped by removing the feed from the table/feeding station, and instead used to bait a trap located on the ground beneath. Read More. Bruce MacQueen/Shutterstock. H ere is an answer to all those questions on the Red squirrel, grey squirrel blog asking about the introduction of grey squirrels!. Tests on a hopper to deliver the oral contraceptive to grey squirrels only are going well. For an update on the UKSA oral contraceptive research, a focus on grey squirrel bark stripping, achievements by the Red Squirrels United programme, a look at recent research on pine marten recovery in Northern Ireland and more click here. It comes as the government confirmed that the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 – which brings EU legislation into UK law - will come into force … Urban Squirrels. The situation for these highly persecuted animals is therefore extremely grave. Under the EU Regulation, it is a requirement for management measures to be put in place for widespread invasive species. Celebrating the Life & Achievements of Sir James McGrigor Reply. Their populations have declined as a result of competition with invasive grey squirrels and the parapox virus they carry. The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order will come into effect during October 2019. In December 2018 rescue centres were contacted by Natural England stating that their licences to rescue and release grey squirrels would be revoked in March 2019. An area-specific licensing system could also be maintained, whereby rescue centre greys are only released in areas with no red squirrels and no commercial forestry concerns. The Government has a long term strategy to help control grey Squirrel populations where they are identified as a specific threat to forestry or to existing populations of red squirrels. Grey squirrel law scrapped: Ministers finally revoke 1937 legislation that made failure to report presence of rodent on your land a criminal offence Law was designed to help eradicate grey squirrels An expert climber. Greys compete with reds for food and also carry a virus known as squirrelpox. You were probably thinking “cute” and “cuddly”, and feeling positive about this mystery mammal. A Newcastle University study in 2016 estimated that there were more than three million greys in the UK, compared with 140,000 reds. And grey. Rescued grey squirrels to be killed under new law – but Britain's 'invasive' problem runs much deeper. A Wildlife Rescue Centre says it will have to euthanise grey squirrels that come into its care, after change in the law. I would recommend alternative methods to limit grey squirrels, and to encourage natural processes that can set a new ecological balance. Copy link. Moving grey squirrels out of your garden Under The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 and Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it's illegal to relocate grey squirrels, as they're a non-native species. They are due to come into force the day before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU. The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019 that the Government will lay before Parliament at the beginning of March represents no change to the keeping of grey squirrels in UK law. From December, a new law on ‘invasive species’ will make it illegal to rescue and release ‘non-native’ animals such as grey squirrels and Muntjac deer. We also use cookies set by other sites to help us deliver content from their services. Follow us. About sharing. Red squirrels are native to the British Isles. According to Woodland Trust, grey squirrels have dominated their red cousins — the Red Squirrel is native to the UK — following their introduction in the 19th century. 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