An outbreak of squirrel pox has been confirmed amid the red squirrel population at Formby, with experts warning that the next few weeks could be critical for the area’s future as a stronghold for the species.
Fears are intensifying that Formby’s red squirrels have already suffered devastating losses, with eight deaths recorded in the past week alone. During the last pox outbreak in 2008, Formby’s red squirrel numbers fell by around 80%.
Grey squirrels carry it, reds have no immunity
Squirrel pox is carried without symptoms by the non-native grey squirrel, and can spread unnoticed until it is too late to stop it reaching red squirrels, for whom the disease causes shivering and painful lesions around the eyes and mouth, making it difficult for them to eat and see.
The disease normally proves fatal to red squirrels within two weeks.
Change how we feed them and report sightings of ill squirrels
Lancashire Wildlife Trust is urging local people and visitors to take immediate action, removing feeders immediately from Formby and the surrounding areas. This is because communal feeding stations can become hotspots for disease transmission.
If people still want to feed wildlife, they can scatter small amounts of fruit with a high water content, like apple or melon, and clean birdbaths and other equipment daily using a wildlife-safe disinfectant.
Lancashire Wildlife Trust is also calling on people to report sightings of healthy and sick red squirrels, as well as grey squirrels, here. If you see a sick red squirrel, you can also ring 07590 745862.
If safe to do so, you can transport the animal – wearing thick gloves – in a secure carrier or ventilated box to your local veterinary practice, who should not charge to tend to the animal.
A serious threat to an already vulnerabe population
Molly Frost, red squirrel project officer at Lancashire Wildlife Trust, said:
Squirrel pox outbreaks are a serious threat to our already vulnerable red squirrel population.
Using feeders may seem like a kind way to support nature, but they are dangerous when a virus is present.
We want red squirrels to be around for generations to come, and our staff and volunteers are doing all we can to protect them from local extinction. We need the support of our community to help us.
There were once millions of red squirrels – Britain’s only native squirrel species – stretching the length and breadth of the country, but today only an estimated 287,000 remain.
Around three quarters of the existing population live in Scotland, while England’s are concentrated across a few different pockets, making them more vulnerable to local threats.
Decades of conservation work has gone into protecting Formby’s red squirrel population, and there are concerns that these efforts could now be undone. The Red Squirrel Recovery Network has said that grey squirrel fertility control could reduce the risk of disease transmission.
By Local Democracy Reporter Emma Morgan.
