Operation Squirrel

Red Squirrel

In 2002 a partnership of organisations and individuals on the Isle of Wight had to put into practice an emergency plan to protect red squirrels. In July 2001 a female grey squirrel was found dead on the road near Afton, Freshwater. Three fresh sightings in woods at the western end of the Island in 2002 sparked fears that grey squirrels might have been breeding successfully. The grey squirrels will out-compete the reds for food and shelter and are carriers of the deadly parapox virus which could wipe out the Island’s population of red squirrels. The Isle of Wight is the last stronghold in the south of England for our declining native red squirrel and a constant vigil is kept to prevent them being wiped out by grey squirrels from the mainland.

The only way to protect the vulnerable red squirrels is to prevent grey squirrels gaining a toehold on the Island. A team of local and national experts swung into action to trap and humanely kill any grey squirrels. The Isle of Wight Council, Wight Squirrel Project, Wight Wildlife, English Nature, the Forestry Commission and Forest Enterprise joined forces to tackle the problem.

Landowners gave their consent for trained forestry rangers to lay cage traps in their woodlands. The traps were checked several times a day. The traps are designed and set so that they are unlikely to catch Red Squirrels; if any became accidentally captured they were released quickly, as every trap is inspected several times daily. Special hair tubes were laid in woodlands to capture small samples of squirrel hair, and establish how far the grey squirrels had spread.

The Isle of Wight Council Ecology Officer Colin Pope said: “We asked members of the public to report possible sightings to help us act quickly. Grey squirrels have grey rather than reddish-brown fur, no ear tufts, and are bigger than red squirrels. They are quite bold and will run along the ground. Anyone who spots a grey squirrel today should contact me at the Isle of Wight Council straight away with the details.”

Results of Operation Squirrel

The operation was a success, and no further evidence of grey squirrels was found. No grey squirrels were trapped and no grey hairs were found. Reports of grey squirrels were received but none was ever verified, although each was investigated. This result means meaning that there is unlikely to be an established population of greys on the Island, although a few individuals might somehow be living wild.

The operation also put to the test the emergency response plan which had been devised for some years, and all the partners benefited from learning how best to respond should there ever be a similar emergency. Thorough the publicity created by the operation, landowners and other local people certainly became more aware of the importance of keeping the Isle of Wight a 'red only' area. The Council and the Wight Squirrel Project had many more people reporting 'grey' squirrels.

Despite this, those involved with squirrel conservation are not complacent. The potential for an accidental or deliberate introduction of grey squirrels to the Isle of Wight is just as real and just as serious as it was before Operation Squirrel. The watch for grey squirrels continues, and if the emergency plan is required, the partners are ready to implement it again.