Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels – Angus

The red squirrel is one of our best loved and iconic native species and is a key wildlife attraction for tourists. It is the UK’s only native squirrel species and was once a common sight across all of mainland Britain. Today, red squirrels are sadly absent from most of England, Wales and Scotland’s central belt, victim of the spread of the American grey squirrel, which was introduced in the 19th century. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a major national initiative which aims to secure and increase red squirrel populations in Scotland. Angus is one of the critical areas where “front line” red/grey squirrel interaction occurs and the aim of this project is to tackle the spread of grey squirrels in this area.

Objectives

– To prevent northward spread of grey squirrels from eastern Angus
– To reduce the numbers and range of grey squirrels colonising eastern Angus
– To gather information to assist in planning for future red squirrel conservation in the area