The complete extermination of grey squirrels is being advocated as the sole method to protect the native red squirrel population, according to a grey squirrel control officer. This assertion comes in the wake of confirmed cases of squirrelpox in the Borders region, a virus that is fatal to red squirrels.
"Complete extermination is the only way currently that we can preserve our native red squirrel," the officer stated. "Unfortunately there is no other answer. As long as the grey squirrel remains it will carry the pox virus which is fatal to our native red."
The officer acknowledged that the proposal might be viewed as extreme but emphasized that decisions are based on scientific evidence. "The elimination of the greys, it's done in a humane manner and it alleviates the threat to the reds," the officer added.
Estate owners are being urged to control grey squirrel populations on their land, and the public is advised to remove bird feeders that attract both grey and red squirrels. The grey squirrel, introduced from North America, has outcompeted the native red squirrel for resources and is also a carrier of the parapoxvirus, which causes lesions and can be lethal to reds.