A series of digitally guided walking routes have been launched by the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project to help visitors and locals discover more about one of the country’s most iconic yet threatened mammals. Known for their red squirrel populations, the selected sites will provide an opportunity for a wild […]
Tag: Dumfries and Galloway
Spotting squirrelpox: new sightings across Dumfries and Galloway
As the weeks continue, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels have received more sightings of sick red squirrels spreading further inland in Dumfries and Galloway. A red squirrel has been reported by a member of the public as far as Gatehouse showing classic symptoms of the squirrelpox virus, suggesting that the disease has spread north west of the original outbreak between […]
News: Dumfries residents can help red squirrels by hosting a trap in their garden
A local Red Squirrel Group is calling on Dumfries residents to help protect the town’s red squirrels by taking part in a grey squirrel trap-loan scheme. The Lower Nithsdale Red Squirrel Group, in partnership with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, is asking residents to join a trap-loan scheme that will help prevent Dumfries from becoming […]
News: Squirrelpox threatens red squirrels across Dumfries & Galloway’s Solway coast
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has confirmed that a squirrelpox outbreak is spreading along the Solway coast. Locals are urged to remain vigilant as this fatal disease could have serious consequences for the area’s red squirrel populations. In recent weeks at least 15 red squirrels have died as a result of squirrelpox, with more sick […]
How many red squirrels are there in Scotland?
Yesterday we published our 2018 squirrel survey report. It concluded that while red squirrel populations are stable in most parts of Scotland, in the south they continue to be threatened by disease and competition from the spread of non-native grey squirrels. Many papers have reported that our survey only detected 59 red squirrels […]
News: 2018 squirrel survey reveals the challenges ahead for Scotland’s red squirrels
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has published the results of its 2018 annual survey, which indicate that while most of Scotland’s red squirrel populations remain stable, populations in southern Scotland remain under threat. Since 2011, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has been monitoring squirrel populations in the parts of the country where red squirrels are […]
Award for a Red Squirrel Champion
The Scottish Wildlife Trust has awarded Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels volunteer Rob Asbridge the “Rusty Bog” Volunteer Award for all the hard work he has put into helping to protect the red squirrels in his area; including the construction of a community base and red squirrel hide for the local community to enjoy and […]
Introducing our South Scotland team
If you volunteer with us in South Scotland, you may have noticed a lot of coming and going amongst our project staff in recent months. Here’s a handy guide to who they are, where they are based and what they’ll be up to in the coming months and years. The Scottish Borders Laura […]
Moving forward with the Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland
The first ‘Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland’ conference took place in Johnstonebridge on Saturday 27 October, bringing together the many volunteer groups and individuals working to protect red squirrels across the region. The event was a significant step in our collective efforts to develop landscape-scale community action across South Scotland, which is […]
Saving Red Squirrels in the Glenkens
Bob Peace from the Glenkens Red Squirrel Group shares his inspiration for getting involved in red squirrel conservation and explains how the volunteer group has gone from strength to strength in recent times. As a young boy growing up in West Yorkshire in the 1950s, red squirrels were a common sight and grey […]