NEWS: Results of the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey 2025

A green graphic showing the results of the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey 2025 on a map of Scotland. Text reads: "2025 Results: 1,107 people took part, 1,563 sightings, 407 confirmed grey sightings, 1,020 confirmed red sightings. Did you know you can report red and grey squirrels all year round. Add yours to the map at scottishsquirrels.org.uk"

    Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is pleased to announce the results of this year’s Great Scottish Squirrel Survey:    1,107 people took part  1,563 squirrels were recorded  407 confirmed grey squirrel sightings  1,020 confirmed red squirrel sightings     The partnership project encouraged people all across Scotland to keep an eye out for both red and […]

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Paws on the Ground for Red Squirrels!

Sika and Tarka in woodland, posed for the camera.

  Our New Furry Team Join the Fight for Red Squirrels in Aberdeen City    We’re really excited to be welcoming a few new members to our team in Aberdeen – two specially trained scent detection dogs and their dedicated handler! Over the past few months, we’ve been working with Conservation K9 Consultancy (CK9C), who have been training these incredible dogs to recognise and alert to […]

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Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels in a National Park

A view over Loch Lomond with hills and trees in the background. The waters is still and the sky is blue.

  Clearing the Loch Lomond islands    This year we’ve been working with our partners at the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority to remove invasive grey squirrels from some of the islands in the loch.  We recently spoke to Scottish Wildlife Trust on their podcast ‘Words of the Wild’ all about this unique piece of work, and why we’re so excited about. Listen […]

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Invasive Non-Native Species Week 2025 – Behind the scenes

After escaping a zoo enclosure in 1971, a small number of grey squirrels quickly gained a foothold in Aberdeen. Since 2009, SSRS has worked with local partners to reduce grey squirrel population density and distribution in the north east. Our work to date has been very successful, and we are now aiming to completely eradicate […]

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The SSRS scurry grows!

We recently welcomed a new Eradication Coordinator to our North East team to lead on the intensive surveying and monitoring work to remove the island population of grey squirrels in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas.   Stephany Arroyo Arce, North East Eradication Coordinator “For the past ten years I’ve been immersed in the fascinating world […]

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New staff in the SSRS scurry!

The last few months have seen a few staffing changes in our scurry, including a new Community Coordination and Outreach Officer who will be focusing on our eradication work in Aberdeen, and a new Programme Manager to head up the SSRS team! Find out more in their own words:   Programme Manager: Gail Turney “Following several years […]

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Trees for Life Guest Blog: Boosting red squirrel populations throughout the Highlands

The award-winning environmental charity Trees for Life stands at the forefront of rewilding in the Scottish Highlands, and for over 30 years has been working to nurture and expand ancient woodland fragments and reintroduce missing animals. Red squirrels are an iconic Scottish species and a key resident of the Caledonian forest, but habitat loss from deforestation, […]

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News: Public squirrel sightings ‘more important than ever’ as annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey begins next week

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is calling on the public to get outside, explore nature, and take part in its annual nationwide Great Scottish Squirrel Survey next week. In a year with red and grey squirrels appearing in unexpected places, and the first death in Fife of a red squirrel due to squirrelpox, public sightings […]

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