Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has received multiple reports of red squirrels with suspected squirrelpox virus in Johnsfield just outside Lockerbie. Locals are urged to remain vigilant as this fatal disease could have serious consequences for the local red squirrel population. Within the past few weeks, and over the festive period, several individual red squirrels […]
Tag: South Scotland
Leaping into the future
This week marks the official end of ‘Developing Community Action’. The past five years have gone incredibly fast! So what happens next? Funded by National Lottery Players, ‘Developing Community Action’ saw the SSRS team expand to its largest ever staffing level, with ambitious aims to boost our engagement with local communities, build a […]
News: Moffat’s red squirrels and golden eagles team up to give native wildlife a boost
Red squirrel conservation is lending a helping hand to another iconic Scottish species, the golden eagle. Grey squirrels caught as part of essential population control work in the Moffat area are being used to feed hungry juveniles that have recently been released into the surrounding hills. The Moffat & District Red Squirrel Group is […]
Celebrating a red squirrel champion
Dr Peter Garson, Chair of the Gatehouse Squirrel Group, has been recognised as this year’s Species Champion in the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Trustees’ Awards for Volunteering. Giuliana Sinclair, Community Engagement Officer for South West Scotland discusses how this award not only celebrates Peter’s immense dedication and drive but also stands as an inspiration to […]
Game-changing grant awarded to South Scotland volunteers
Last month the Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland was awarded a game-changing grant from the Red Squirrel Survival Trust to help protect local red squirrels in Southern Scotland with innovative equipment. Collaboration and community action are crucial to the long-term survival of red squirrels in Scotland, and in the South, dedicated red […]
A year of saving red squirrels in East Wigtownshire
For Volunteers’ Week, David Miller, Chair of the East Wigtownshire Red Squirrel Group reflects on the group’s experiences one year after its formation. Established in 2019, the aim of the group is to protect the red squirrels of the River Cree catchment and the Machars Peninsula. Although red squirrels are still thriving in the […]
Suspected squirrelpox cases on the Solway Coast
Two suspected cases of squirrelpox are being investigated in the Auchencairn and Sandyhills regions of the Solway Coast in Dumfries and Galloway. Following the retrieval of a sick red squirrel believed to be suffering from squirrelpox by the SSPCA from Auchencairn last week and the sighting of another red squirrel showing squirrelpox symptoms […]
Building a Volunteer Network
Network groups across South Scotland priority areas are ensuring the long-term survival of native red squirrels through community action. In our project’s priority areas, some of these groups are already beginning to see red squirrel populations bounce back. Red squirrel groups have been invaluable in collective conservation efforts to date in South Scotland and are led by […]
Our new recruits: welcome to Team Squirrel!
It’s a really exciting time to be working for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels. Earlier this year we announced that the Scottish Wildlife Trust has been awarded a grant of £2.46 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), for a new phase in the project called ‘Developing Community Action’. Thanks to support from HLF and the […]