Wee squirrels in Scotland can now stay safe thanks to a rope bridge suspended between the trees over a road in the northwest Highlands.
The population of red squirrels in Britain has diminished over the last decades. Download sagem card reader driver. The threatened species native to Britain has had to contend with deforestation and the dominance of their bitter rivals, the grey squirrels.
Red squirrels are a rare sight in England, and catching a glimpse of them is always a delight. Gateshead Family urges bus drivers and public transport users to look out for the 25-year-old who. The red squirrel is perhaps the most famous species of ground squirrel. These little guys can be very territorial against similarly-sized threats (including small pets), and prefer having burrows at ground level. The European red squirrel is currently endangered, but the American variety is plentiful. The introduced grey squirrel (Sciuris carolinensis) in the UK is considered to be the reservoir host for squirrelpox virus (SQPV), a virus pathogenic to the native red squirrel (Sciuris vulgaris) that has been implicated in dramatic population declines nationally (Sainsbury et al., 2000; Chantrey et al., 2014). Red squirrels respond to climate change. Published February 12, 2003 Updated February 12. In the short term, drivers might respond to high prices by driving less, but in the. The larger Fox Squirrel is not an original habitant of Ohio; it was only after Ohio was settled and most of the woods cleared away that the Fox Squirrel moved into Ohio. Fox Squirrels are the largest Ohio squirrel and are commonly called red squirrels – not to be confused with actual Red Squirrels, which are a distinctly different species.
However, for a population of Highland red squirrels, crossing the street has become less of a worry.
The conservation charity, Trees for Life, installed a specifically designed rope bridge between the tree canopy above the A896 near the village of Shieldaig, Scotland in the northwest Highlands. The organization constructed the bridge and placed road signs to alert drivers of animal crossings with the hopes of redeeming the red squirrel population in the surrounding woodlands.
Trees for Life’s Wildlife Officer, Beck Priestley explained, “Sadly, road traffic is a major risk for wildlife – including red squirrels. We wanted to take positive action to help the red squirrel population spread into the local woodlands as safely as possible. The combination of bridge and road signs definitely appears to be working well, which is great news.”
According to the People's Trust for Endangered Species, an estimated one million mammals die on roads in the United Kingdom alone. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels reported that three percent of red squirrel sightings are dead on the road, with the figure potentially far higher.
Red Squirrel Traps
Prior to conservation efforts, at least five red squirrels perished within a year trying to cross the street. Since the bridge and signs went up, there has only been one known red squirrel death on the road, and this year has not had any reported fatalities.
“It’s safer for reds to travel in the tree canopy rather than on the ground, so it’s likely that if they have the option of using a bridge rather than crossing the road, they will take it. We also installed feeders at each end of the bridge to encourage the squirrels to use it,” Priestly continued.
A camera trap in place for more than a year captured the small mammals exploring the woodlands, breeding, and spreading into new territory. Their population continues to flourish as two new litters of red squirrels have appeared near the release site.
Drivers Red Squirrel Images
Today, only an estimated 120,000 red squirrels remain in Britain, with about 75 percent of them residing in the woodlands, parks, and gardens of Scotland. Their population began to decline steadily because of deforestation and the introduction of North American grey squirrels to the United Kingdom in the 1800s. The dominant greys outcompete reds for their territory and brought with them the squirrel pox virus, a disease which they have immunity to but kills the red species.
Altogether, the Trees for Life project has successfully reintroduced 140 red squirrels back into their habitat including in Shieldaig. The Tree of Life foundation continues to raise money to reintroduce even more red squirrels in at least eight woodlands in the northwest Highlands. The funding will also go towards protecting the reds from competition and disease of the grey squirrels.
Drivers Red Squirrel Pictures
Trees for Life works to restore natural forests and rare wildlife in the wilderness region in the Scottish Highlands, including their 10,000 acre Dundreggan Conservation Estate. Their organization, along with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels and UK Red Squirrel Group provide vital support for red squirrel conservation in the United Kingdom.
Fox Squirrel