Why don Red Squirrels have immunity to Poxvirus?
Red Squirrels are living right on the edge of their natural habitat, which extends from the UK all the way to the far east. The UK habitat isn’t all that suitable, and is getting less and less suitable as humans alter the forest landscape significantly. So they tend to be struggling constantly just to survive, and when they catch Poxvirus, they usually die before their immune systems can build up immunity to the disease. It is entirely possible for them to survive the disease. There is one confirmed case where a Red Squirrel in captivity, which had a good supply of food and shelter, managed to fight the disease, and was shown to have antibodies which would help protect it from Poxvirus in future. If large numbers of Red Squirrels are to fight this disease themselves, they need good habitat, with plenty of food and shelter, so emphasis on planting more coniferous forests is important. The development of a vaccine which could be given to live-trapped red squirrels before they are release
