WHY ARE RED SQUIRRELS IN DECLINE?
Originally, it was thought that greys were more aggressive and drove the reds out. More recent work showed that greys are better able to digest acorns than reds, which are much less able to neutralize the polyphenols in acorns. Greys also eat hazelnuts before moving on to acorns, depriving the reds of their preferred foods. The biggest problem is now believed to be a parapoxvirus that is spread by greys but kills reds. This disease has greatly accelerated the decline in red squirrels. *ATTEMPTS TO WIPE OUT GREY SQUIRRELS 1931 A national anti-grey squirrel campaign is formed to combat the spread of grey squirrels. 1933 The Destructive Imported Animals Act makes it illegal to import, release, or keep captive grey squirrels without a licence. 1944 County War Agricultural Executive Committees issues free shotgun cartridges to registered clubs to reduce grey squirrel numbers. By the end of 1947 450 Grey Squirrel Shooting Clubs had killed 100,000 grey squirrels. Grey squirrels continued to s
