In praise of Grey Squirrels

[jamiep]

As with most things in life that work well, we just need to strike a balance. The grey squirrel really does do unacceptable amounts of damage in some areas when the population density is too high - as do we, but if common sense is applied then the balance can be restored - just a thought.

[Dean Lofthouse]

In a few hundred years time there will be only one human race, we will all be the same colour as has been suggested, with the advent of universal travel, this will happen very fast in ecological terms.

 

Any species, whatever damage it does should be afforded the right of a humane death. I for one hate seeing things suffer, if it has to be despatch, i take the attitude that if that animal were me, I would not want to suffer a slow death

[jamiep]

Couldn't agree more Dean, well said.

[breffni]

What about the use of pine martins to control grey squirrel numbers?

[County4x4]

I started my work with trees in the country parks and various woodlands owned by Notts County Council, as part of a brand new forestry team at the time. It was a good set up and they'd spent a lot of money on buying quality equipment. They went on to spend a lot of money through our team on restoration work in neglected areas, rabbit fencing, new plantings and ongoing weeding and beating up - you name it. By the time I left some ten years later a lot of places were looking a whole lot better than when we started - nice mix of native species all doing very well.

 

I still go for a walk round some of the old spots if I'm down that way every few years or so - but last time I went I was amazed to see that they seemed to be actively encouraging the greys nowadays with feeding stations all round the place on the more well used footpaths - presumably so tourists could make "ahhhh" noises about the "cute little squirrels". After all the work we put in to improve things it narked me no end I have to say!

[difflock]

erm, cough cough.

2 other reasons

(i) Since the greys will be attracted to the feeding stations they are easy/easier to spot, thus triggering a suitable response.

(ii)Having encouraged greys to these easily accessible spots they are easier to either shoot or trap, the traps being easier to check.

(iii)It also encourages the reds out to be seen and monitered.

So a win/win/win

PS

it seems the reds can better hold their own in conifer woodland, so it may have been reds wot translocated the acorns wot grew into "our" oak trees up the conifer planted moss.

[County4x4]

Well it's a thought - but I'd be very surprised if that's why they were doing it to be honest. The management decisions concerning these places are usually made by people in offices miles away - very much like the way British Waterways used to work (they even sent people from the offices who were "in charge" for days out to go and see how a canal lock worked!) They probably wouldn't dare risk any bad PR about "squirrel murdering" as no doubt many members of the public who generally have no idea would be up in arms about it. We used to get the same when we started thinning out dense stands of self set sycamore monoculture - "bloody vandals cutting trees down" etc.

 

The fact that many of these stations had squirrels who were quite happy to feed whilst being gawped at by groups of people about three feet away suggested that they were quite used to it.

[pinches2412]

The grey's never asked to be brought or born here. I suppose there has to be a compromise between ethics and science.

 

Plus grey squirrels are very tasty !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Perkins]

Kill them all. Cute and cuddly but they have no place in the UK and must all die.

 

[Yorkshireman]

grey squirrels = damn good sport