Red squirrels set for return (From South West Farmer)

Red squirrels set for return

9:00am Friday 23rd July 2010

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First it was the Chough which returned triumphant to the cliffs of The Lizard Peninsula. Now among the woodlands it could be the red squirrel.

A groundbreaking plan to reintroduce the native red to Cornwall was announced at the show by the Red Squirrel Survival Trust of which Prince Charles is patron.

The project will reintroduce reds into the peninsula and west Penwith, once all the grey squirrels have been removed.

The red squirrel – one of Britain’s most appealing mammals – was last sighted in Cornwall in 1984. Its disappearance from the county is largely due to the competitive presence of the invasive grey squirrel. The greys carry a virus that is harmless to them but potentially deadly to reds.

The Prince has provided his own comments to the project’s brochure: “The importance of preserving Britain’s reds cannot be understated. They are one of the most charming and irresistible of British native mammals and are under ceaseless, pernicious attack by the relentless march of the imported greys which do such untold damage to newly-planted native hardwood trees all over the country.”

Charles Williams, chairman of the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project committee, said: ‘We in Cornwall have seen the interest and pleasure the return of the chough has given to residents and visitors to The Lizard and West Penwith. Let us hope we can achieve the same happy return for the red squirrel.”

Woodlands stand to benefit greatly if greys, which do so much damage to young trees, are eradicated from the project areas.

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