England’s red squirrels face extinction within 25 years after being pushed out of woodlands by aggressive and invasive grey squirrels, a government report has warned.
The red squirrel population has fallen from 3 million in the 1970s to an estimated 38,900 today and their range reduced by 95%, according to the report compiled by Natural England last month, as reds are outcompeted for food and habitat by greys, which also spread the squirrelpox virus.
The virus is fatal to red squirrels but not greys, and the immune species, which was introduced in the late 19th century, now numbers in the millions. Reds have also been affected by habitat loss and fragmentation, resulting in small and isolated populations that lack genetic fitness.
The report found that “doing nothing” to stop the spread of grey squirrels would result in the native reds being wiped out by 2051, while killing the greys would be most the effective strategy, but also the most expensive and have the least public support.
A new petition by campaign group Save Our Reds has been signed by more than 76,000 people, and calls for the authorities to act immediately to restore red squirrel populations.
“Most people do not realise the true impact grey squirrels have, or how close we are to losing red squirrels in England entirely,” the petition reads.
“We must protect vital habitat. We must prioritise native biodiversity over short-term gain. We must support practical, science-led solutions to secure their future.”
Some commentators have also compared the plight of the red squirrel to the replacement of White British people via mass immigration, with some demographic projections finding White Britons will be a minority in less than 40 years.
“It will be us next unless we implement remigration,” said Remigration Now founder Steve Laws in response to an X post about the red squirrels facing extinction.
“There’s a metaphor here,” said anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson.
“Just as England’s native red squirrels are being driven to extinction by invasive grey squirrels, the same is happening to the indigenous White British population through mass immigration and demographic change. Nature’s clearest real-life analogy, and one we’re not supposed to notice,” wrote David Poulden.
A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said: “Our iconic red squirrels are an important part of our native wildlife but are now classed as endangered in this country.
“To help address this we’re stepping up action to tackle the threat non-native grey squirrels pose to them along with the significant damage they cause to trees and woodlands. This includes working with landowners and conservation partners to better manage grey squirrel populations.”
Header image: A red squirrel (Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link)
