Grey squirrels, love them or cull them?

Gandalf · #1 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 06:59 PM

Mum stocking-up for her young - notice the nipple?
Took this image on 3 May in back garden.

Cheers,

Owl-Light · #2 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 07:01 PM

Love 'em

Paul mabbott · #3 (**permalink**) 06-05-2007, 08:25 PM

Exterminate ... exterminate ....!

You might guess what the responses will be from other threads!
Good picture though!

ecocumbria · #4 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 08:22 PM

Grey squirrels have just arrived in West Cumbria and have past on the Parapox virus to our local red squirrels. Every day for the past week I have watched red squirrels in my garden develop lesions, lose weight and senses and gradually die. When this happened in South Cumbria a few years ago the reds disappeared completely in a very short space of time. I think it is only a matter of weeks before we lose our reds completely. In the mean time we are trapping and shooting every grey squirrel that makes an appearance.

ecocumbria · #5 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 08:41 PM

I started a new thread on this topic without realising it was already covered.

Kill them by whatever means. When I find my lost comms cord for my camera I will post some pics I took this morning of a red squirrel quickly approaching the end of its life, dying from the parapox virus contracted from grey squirrels.

Even when red squirrels are extinct in my part of the country I will still be prejudiced against the greys and will continue to destroy them at every opportunity.

Kymba · #6 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 09:10 PM

Love Them,

Adore them

have spent many Hours nursing them back to health and rearing baby ones

Ukwildlifeo · #7 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 10:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kymba

Love Them,

Adore them

have spent many Hours nursing them back to health and rearing baby ones

Isn't it illegal to release them again thou?

Ukwildlifeo · #8 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 10:25 PM

I would say cull the lot but that mite make other spread into the vacant areas and spread the pox to uninfected greys and on the reds eventually. I live in essex and apart from the colony in Thetford forest, Suffolk there are no reds anywhere near me. My local park has swarms of them (and canada geese 40+ chicks last year) and althought some a tame and there quite cute I cant help but think whats missing. Plus they eat native birds eggs and ruin bird feeders and kill plants.

I have seen reds on trips to the lsle of Wight, where if grey does make it there, I'm told it will have a VERY short life expectancy. so atleast they might survive off the mainland

pressld2 · #9 (**permalink**) 12-05-2007, 10:30 PM

The mask slips, and suddenly it's...

SATAN SQUIRREL!!!!

(special effects courtesy of Nikon SB-800 speedlight)

Dave P.

Steve149c · #10 (**permalink**) 13-05-2007, 12:28 PM

I think we all need to put our feelings in place. Love them - Hate them?

The Red squirrel as we all know is cute and adorable with his little fluffy ears - but isn't the Grey squirrel just as cute? It's not specifically his fault that he carries the disease that harms the reds. Yes he may be larger and, yes he bullys his smaller cousins, but this is nature. Nature like a Sparrow Hawk hunts sparrows - should we have all the Sparrow Hawks killed too? Why stop there - Buzzards take Rabbits, Ospreys take Fish, Sharks take seals.....etc Granted the grey doesn't do it to survive, just territory.

We need to look at other possibilities here guys & gals. Mainly someone should set up a charity that will fund research into the disease that the greys carry. Perhaps immunisation of the Reds would give them more of a fighting chance? Eventually the immunity would pass into the population and help.

Culling greys doesn't stop disease spreading - one grey that escapes culling needs only to 'meet' one red, which then returns to the other reds and outbreak is on our hands again. Culling is short sighted!

I love both, both for what they are!!!

Steve