The Red Squirrel

Laurence Speight

The red squirrel is so rare on the island of Ireland that many consider it a mythical creature. Even people whose business it is to study and protect them have not seen one in its natural habitat. Like the red deer and the red fox the red squirrel is native to the island and is thought to have been here since the end of the ice age 10,000 years ago. It is likely that many of the red squirrels that live in the woodlands and plantation forests today originate from stock brought into the country from the UK and the continent at various times in the past 400 years.

The demise of the red squirrel can be traced to the arrival of the American grey squirrel in County Longford in 1911 when six pairs were released at a wedding party at Castle Forbes. Since then the grey squirrel has out-competed the red squirrel to become common in most parts of the country. One reason is grey squirrels are bigger, bolder, stronger and less specialised than the red, better able to make use of food sources such as acorns and hazelnuts. As red and grey squirrels can co-habit where there is sufficient food it is thought the main reason for the demise of the red squirrel is the Parapox virus which grey squirrels carry and pass onto the reds. Death occurs within three weeks of infection. It is a painful death. Although grey squirrels carry the virus they are immune to it.

There is hope for the survival of the red squirrel. Dublin and Belfast zoos have a red squirrel captive breeding programme and release red squirrels into grey squirrel free habitat. There is a network of local red squirrel groups across Ireland which monitor red squirrels, place feeders out for them and pass on dead specimens to laboratories for analysis. They have a policy of trapping and dispatching grey squirrels especially in locations where there are known red squirrel populations. The grey squirrels are killed in a humane stress-free manner by trained group members. Once a grey squirrel is trapped it is a criminal offence to release it into the wild as it is an invasive species.

The Irish Squirrel & Pine Martin Project at NUI Galway is studying the relationship between pine martins and both squirrel species. Initial findings suggest that when pine martins take up residence in an area where there are both red and grey squirrels the grey squirrel population declines. It is thought this is because grey squirrels are easier prey than red squirrels. In addition the breeding habits of the grey are disrupted by the presence of pine martens.

 Grey squirrels are not only a threat to red squirrels but can kill trees through stripping them of their bark. The Forestry Commission, Edinburgh, estimate that up to 5% of damaged trees may die and many more will have degraded timber value. The financial cost can be enormous. There is also the loss of biodiversity and amenity.

An active interest in red squirrels will not only help protect them but is a pathway to a greater understanding of the biodiversity in your local area. Standing still in woodland, listening and surveying the trees for squirrels, is meditation with a practical purpose. If you don’t see a red squirrel you may see other creatures, and in spring and summer be enchanted by bird song and the rich variety of flora.

Humbert Wolfe’s poem The Grey Squirrel (1885-1940) tells us that the threat of the grey squirrel to the reds and bio-diversity in general has long been known. When Wolfe says that grey squirrels eat red squirrels he probably means this metaphorically. The poem raises interesting questions about our relationship with other species.

The Grey Squirrel 

Like a small grey 

coffee-pot 

sits the squirrel,

 He is not

 All he should be 

Kills by dozens trees,

 and eats 

his red-brown cousins 

 The keeper on the

 other hand, 

who shot him, 

is a Christian,

 and

 loves his enemies, 

which shows

 the squirrel was not

one of those. 

If you would like to become involved in a red squirrel group contact one of the following:
 Biodiversity NI:  ·
Northern Ireland Squirrel Forum
Fermanagh Red Squirrel Group .

Road kill, Correl Glen, Co. Fermanagh, 13.09.2012, photo by Laurence Speight


 Sources: Red Squirrel Conservation Handbook, Mourne Heritage Trust, February 2010 Controlling Grey Squirrel Damage to Woodlands, Forestry Commission, August 2007 Wicklow Mountains National Park: www.wicklowmountainsnationalpark.com The Irish Squirrel & Pine Martin Project: www.woodlandmammals.com