The Daily Record's DanVevers visited Loch of the Lowes, in rural Perthshire, one of the country's remaining safe havens for our native red squirrels
Scotland's native red squirrels are one of our most threatened mammal species. Once the UK’s most common squirrel now there are only around 140,000 left in the UK - with more than 75 per cent of them estimated to be in Scotland.
That’s why I headed up to Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld in rural Perthshire, to one of Scotland’s safe havens for red squirrels.Loch of the Lowes sits right on a great red line across the map of Scotland, from Montrose to Loch Lomond, drawn up by conservationists and policymakers. And it's a line grey squirrels are not meant to pass.
“But unfortunately, grey squirrels have been spotted in Dunkeld and in Pitlochry. There’s a potential migration route here where they could leak into the Highlands. It’s really important that we keep on top of grey squirrel control in this area.” That means finding humane ways of catching them - such as with live cage traps - and disposing of them with minimal distress. Gamekeepers can also shoot grey squirrels as pests.
Leading all of this work is the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels campaign, launched in 2009, a coalition led by the SWT and other partners, which has transformed efforts to control greys and save reds into a national mission. As well as bidding to halt the advance of greys from the Central Belt further north, in the south of Scotland they’re combatting an influx of the critters from the north of England into reds territory.
But eventually, one showed up, taking advantage of the feeders installed on trees - he or she was a coppery colour with little pointed ears.
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