Fife Squirrelpox Update

…and since then the disease has arisen in various red squirrel populations across south Scotland. However, this was the first time that a case has been confirmed north of Scotland’s Central Belt and it’s arrival poses a major threat to Scotland’s more northerly red squirrels. Fortunately, no further cases have been detected north of the central belt in the last… […]

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Coronavirus: Temporary suspension of SSRS non-essential volunteer work

…issuing new guidance with immediate effect.   Grey squirrel control volunteers (including both trap-hosts and dispatchers) Registered Scottish Wildlife Trust volunteers undertaking grey squirrel control are able to continue with this essential work, provided that existing guidance (issued on 11/06/2020) is adhered to and a Covid-19 Risk Assessment has been completed and reviewed. The Covid-19 Risk Assessment can be accessed… […]

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News: Get involved in Scotland’s fifth annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

…Between 2-8 October we are encouraging members of the public to explore the outdoors, get squirrel spotting, and add sightings of red and grey squirrels to scottishsquirrels.org.uk. The annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey is the most important public event for comparing yearly distributions of red and grey squirrels. Last year we received 10,484 sightings in total with the help of… […]

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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 grey squirrels from the north… […]

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Cally Gardens Wildlife Hide is now open!

  Since way back in 2019 there has been a plan to build a hide from which we could watch and photograph woodland wildlife near Gatehouse. Finally, this mission has been accomplished with a launch event held in Cally Woods on Wednesday 10 November. This project has been led by the Gatehouse Squirrel Group, and its members’ generous donations covered… […]

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Publications

Publications   Guidelines and Advice Priority Areas for Red Squirrel Conservation (PARCs) in South Scotland Supplementary Feeding of Red Squirrels Red Squirrel Post Mortems Red Squirrel Road Warning Signs in Scotland Red Squirrel Leprosy Use of Virkon for Disinfecting Squirrel Feeders   Reports Saving an Icon – DCA Final Report 2017-2022 Squirrelpox Detection in the Central Lowlands 2017-2020 2019 Spring… […]

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Reports of suspected squirrelpox near Cardrona

…Officer, Sarah Cooper at scooper@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk. Unfortunately, at this time, SSRS are unable to fully confirm the presence of squirrelpox as the experts who carry out post mortem investigations are currently not operating due to coronavirus restrictions. However, photographs and videos of the squirrel are extremely useful in helping determine whether symptoms correlate with those presented by squirrelpox. Please note, that… […]

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This Year's Sightings