Friends of the Red Squirrel Attend Exclusive Preview Event

- April 2008

Nearly 100 members battled their way through the Cumbrian snows to get a sneak preview of the new displays at the Whinlatter Flagship red squirrel reserve at the begining of the month. However, the sun did shine during the morning, casting a cheerful glow over the crisp white woodland.

With so many people there, groups took it in turns to walk along the trail and explore the new displays indoors. Luck was on our side and the squirrels behaved impecably, with three of the four groups seeing at least one red during their walk!

Finally there was the opportunity to warm up over a hot cup of coffee and some home made squirrel shaped bisciuts, while listening to a talk about what had been happening and why. A good time was had by all and the day provided a good opportunity to meet the SoS team who were all there to help out.

Squirrelpox in East Northumberland

We have had recent cases of squirrelpox in the Swarland area and in Gosforth Park Nature Reserve. Please keep your eyes open for grey squirrels and sick looking red squirrels in these areas. If you see them, please ring our hotline - 0845 347 9375.

Thank You Treberva Farm in Herefordshire

For the kind donation of cobnuts - they are feeding red squirrels throughout the North of England.

Thank you also to Lescost Transport Ltd of Gateshead

who kindly provided free transport for the cobnuts from Herefordshire to Gosforth.

January 2008

Whinlatter Red Squirrel Flagship Reserve Project

Red Squirrels are taking centre stage at Whinlatter Forest this Spring. As part of the Save our Squirrels project, three red squirrel reserves have been selected to be developed further into “flagship reserves”. This means that they will be getting lots of new displays and information both inside and out.
In Cumbria Whinlatter Forest which is already well known for its ospreys, is getting this special treatment.
In conjunction with the Forestry Commission, Save our Squirrels is installing an array of interactive displays and a new red squirrel trial – the Squirrel Scurry! This forty minute stroll through great red squirrel habitat takes people past chainsaw sculptures and information boards, as well as passing underneath a rope bridge put up for the reds. There are a number of squirrel feeders up along the trail, too, so that visitors have a better chance to catch a glimpse of this elusive animal.

In the visitor centre there will be a beautiful carved wooden picture board, depicting a woodland scene. There will be additional information available from the Save our Squirrels website, which visitors will be able to access while they are there, too.

It is planned that in the autumn visitors will be able to watch live footage of red squirrels on feeders from the comfort of the visitor centre, just as they can do now with ospreys.

This work is due to be launched to the public during the first May bank holiday, on Sunday 4th May 2008. Come along and see the new improvements!

November/December 2007

Squirrelpox Virus near Bellingham

It was not good news for Christmas when we found out that the squirrelpox virus was confirmed from a dead red squirrel found in Hesleyside Woods.

A number of greys had been sighted around Hesleyside Woods and Bellingham in the autumn and local action resulted in most of these greys being quickly dispatched.

Hesleyside woods is very close to Kielder Forest - England's largest population of red squirrels.

As we are learning from Sefton, the best way to reduce the spread of the squirrelpox virus is through local action. You can help by:

a) reporting grey squirrels to SoS and they will be promptly dispatched by local grey coordinators.

b) looking out for sick red squirrels in your neighbourhood. (See the article below for pox symptoms and what to do.)

c) keep bird and squirrel feeders clean - remove old food, droppings and dirt; scrub the feeder and disinfect with a pet-safe disinfectant such as Trigene or Virkon S.

Download the action sheet for more information.

Help Red Squirrels at Formby Point, Sefton.

A group of volunteers are monitoring the woodlands in Formby on a daily basis in order to try and minimise the effects of the current squirrlepox outbreak.

Anyone who would like to join the team should contact Fiona on 0151 920 3769 for training.

Visitors and local residents are asked to look out for sick squirrels and report them by phone on 0151 920 3769. Download a poster for more information.

This kind of practical action does work. The red squirrel population at Little Crosby is slowly recovering after a squirrelpox outbreak in 2003.

Squirrelpox virus outbreak in Northumberland (November 2007)

Squirrelpox virus (SQPV) has been confirmed in Wallington, Belsay and Fourstones in the last week. Several dead squirrels had been reported in these areas and sent away for post-mortem examination. Due to abundance of tree seeds, and high populations at the end of the breeding season, there has been a recent increase in grey squirrel activity and dispersal. Please be vigilant for both grey squirrels and any signs of sick red squirrels. Early symptoms of SQPV include poor coordination, lethargy and disorientation, with ulceration and lesions developing around the eyes, nose, mouth, paws, and genitals. Red squirrels infected with SQPV are likely to die within 2 weeks if not treated.

Sadly, although the sick squirrels can be treated, they are very vulnerable to secondary infections and stress. It is vital that sick squirrels are removed from the population as soon as possible to reduce the risk of spreading the disease further.

If you suspect a squirrel is suffering from the pox, please try to catch it and take it to your nearest vet as soon as possible. Local action can really help red squirrels.

Please contact us on 0845 3479375 for further help and advice, and to report any sick red squirrels, or grey sightings.

For further information about the squirrelpox virus, click here.

Dead red squirrel showing lesions typical of SQPV Dead red squirrel showing typical lesions of the squirrelpox virus .

Photo by Mark Wilkinson

Reds, Greys And A Brief History Of Squirrelpox Virus Disease

The history of disease in red squirrels goes back a long time. Population crashes were reported from different parts of the British Isles between 1900-1924. Disease was the main reason for the declines and descriptions of dead squirrels suggested a number of causes. The possibility of the grey squirrel as a carrier of disease was discounted at the time as several outbreaks occurred in complete absence of them (e.g. Berwickshire, Somerset). However, subsequent surveys (in 1930, 1946, 1953, 1957, 1962, 1983) illustrated that the presence of grey squirrels resulted in the disappearance of native reds.

Initially the reasons for replacement were thought to be competition only. However, in 1971 a disease resembling myxomatosis in red squirrels was first observed in Norfolk and attributed to a parapoxvirus in 1981. Following progressive outbreaks of parapoxvirus disease in red squirrels in the Midlands, Lancashire and Northumberland in the mid 1990s, it became clear that the infection could cause local extinctions.

The testing of greys for antibodies to the virus in the late 1990s revealed that 61% of apparently healthy grey squirrels in populations in England had been exposed to it. Work in 2002 confirmed that the virus was highly pathogenic in red squirrels with no detectable effects in greys, and that grey squirrels were a potential vector for the virus.

DNA sequence data and microscopic examination of the parapoxvirus in 2003 revealed that the virus represented a previously unrecognised genus of the Chordopoxviridae and should be described as a squirrelpox virus (SQPV) instead.

Public squirrel sightings helped to quantify the impact of the virus on red squirrels in 2005. An analysis of squirrel records from areas with and without SQPV illustrated that decline is 15-17 times higher in areas with the virus. Analysis of blood samples from greys in the US in 2006 showed antibodies to the virus, suggesting that some greys may have brought the virus with them on introduction.

SQPV is the biggest threat to the red squirrels in the reserves in northern England. It will also alter fundamentally the dynamic of red-grey squirrel interactions in Scotland once it spreads there. Key questions to answer next are: (1) how is the virus transmitted; (2) is a vaccine possible?

Dr Peter Lurz (Newcastle University)

New pictures for SoS Team to use

Photographer, Chris Sharratt, has very kindly allowed the Save our Squirrels project to use his images for our leaflets, displays and website.The Scottish Highlands based photographer, has taken some beautiful and charming pictures of our favourite animal, as well as some lovely images of other subjects, such as ice. Have a look at his website to see his work (follow the link above). The SoS team are always on the look out for new red squirrel photographs that are of high enough quality to use in our promotional materials, but we also love to see all your squirrelly encounters, so do send them in and we will try to put some up on our gallery page.

Photograph by Chris Sharratt