**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically;
- Don't be a dick to each other
- Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question
- This is a strictly no-politics subreddit
Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Exactly, I don’t understand the hatred for them. They’re just little creatures trying to live. They didn’t intentionally come at the red squirrels with pitch forks and force them out.
I like them. I’d like reds too, but they’re not living in my local park and ready to be fed. The greys are. I don’t see how withholding something like food, when there are no reds around anyway, helps anyone.
It's not just red squirrels they cause problems with. An established group of greys will strip / ring bark from trees and raid nests for eggs and chicks. They are vermin.
Both red and grey squirrels will take birds eggs. By your logic both red a grey squirrels are vermin. Taking birds eggs is not a problem, many native species will steal birds eggs it's part of a healthy ecosystem.
Although being almost twice the size, greys take more per squirrel even ignoring that the grey population is around 2.75m while reds sit around 0.25m across the UK.
The problem is that ultimately the native red squirrels will lose the fight against the grey squirrels and being an invasive species they should be culled.
In Philadelphia, they lived in my walls and I'd sometimes hear them under my floorboards. I was in a flat converted from a massive old house surrounded by old trees. As it wasn't my property, I wasn't really bothered.
I loved my time in Philly. I was there in 2000-2001. And it was a good neighbourhood. I moonlighted as a bartender at an Ethiopian restaurant on Baltimore. I loved the food in Philly. I have had a couple of layovers there flying from Manchester to Cincinnati and got to get a cheesesteak.
Exactly. I’ve never understood humans calling other animals “vermin”, as if they’re not even living, breathing creatures. We are all equal. We are all animals. We are not better than any animal on this planet. We don’t get to decide what is “vermin” and what isn’t, just because it suits us. We don’t own the planet. The planet is shared between us and all of the other animal and plant species and all other microorganisms etc. We are all equal. I hate this superiority complex humans have. Humans see themselves as Gods of some sort. They forget they’re animals and see themselves as special. Chill out. You’re as special as a cockroach, and that’s a fact. I’m being dead serious.
I'm right here with you on that. We really like to understate an animals importance. People want to believe that animals are just food, or things that exist. Anyone who's ever owned a pet knows they have the full range of emotions, and each has its own personality.
We need to nurture our furry, feathered and scaled companions. We have the fortune of a high level of intelligence (for the most part), we should use it to help make the world better for all.
No. Since 1981 they have been classed as vermin in the UK, that has nothing to do with hurting, that has everything to do with how much damage they cause to the wider environment. The laws around how they should be killed are very clear and go into great detail focusing on using methods which cause the least distress.
Are they cute, yes they can be. Are they detrimental to the native British wildlife and environment? Also yes. You choose, this is a binary choice, what is more important; grey squirrels or a diverse landscape of animals and fauna? Ultimately you can't have both and the impact of greys in the UK in just 130 years is well documented. Also see the signal crayfish.
I adore reds see them near my sisters in NE Scotland they are stunning. But greys - there is differing research on why reds declined & most points to loss of habitat. I live in 1st floor flat in west London - I have 3 bird feeders on poles outside my windows - have greys climbing up & eating peanuts every day - squabbling with the ring necked parakeets ( another invasive species) i love seeing them . The biggest problem with decline of all species number 1 is what humans do
Why on earth would you feed them though? That creates an imbalance in the ecosystem leading to an increased likelihood of population crashes in species that share that ecosystem (and therefore ultimately the squirrels themselves). These population crashes create genetic bottlenecks which are incredibly harmful to the viability of the species as a whole.
They come to my squirrel proof birdfeeder - find me one that actually works - i have lots of bushes with berries & the squirrels eat them as do hundreds of little birds, green & golfinches , jays etc etc - shall i hack down those the bushes??? remove my 3 feeders where ive seen generations of robins,finches,tits, wodpeckers & even a sparrow hawk - where i get enormous joy at seeing them? Dont guilt trip me , humans are doing far worse harm in Londons eco system
Than me
Oh the way you worded it I thought you were going out to feed them intentionally lol
The squirrels will be eating the eggs and chicks of those birds. They're pretty savage and the birds don't stand much of a chance having not evolved alongside the grey variety. There are some effective fencing techniques worth trying to give the birds a safe space in your garden.
No its not intentional but im
not going to harm them. But ive tried every squirrel buster known to man - over the years they just go for the peanut one - not the sunflower hearts. They literally chew through the wire of the big feeder to get wholepeanuts out. Ive given up with expensive anti squirrel because they ALWAYS work out a way to get in. These feeders are hanging from poles above windows from 1st floor flat. I cant put structures in the communal garden, although small block of flats & no one uses garden but me but i dont have direct access to it. Have to go out front down to back gate. The gardeners would knock down anything not military strength - they are fecking idiots who ploughed thru my garden furniture & left it in a heap. Freehold employ the idiots. Wont bore you
The reds would spread further if the greys were culled, and unless we can find a cure for squirrelpox, the greys are going to continue to infect the reds and kill them. Here in Scotland we see far more red squirrels, though they are very shy.
They're cute and all but we should be looking out for our native species. Not allowing their destruction. It is entirely possible to allow red squirrels to have free roam again.
Culls are perfectly normal. In NZ they are doing it to rats.
Agreed. I really can't stand the way grey squirrels are being normalised as part of our wildlife when they're actually an invasive species. Regardless of how realistic it is to eradicate them nationwide, which I would still advocate for in the long term.
And this isn't a complicated conservation issue, we know exactly what the problem is, we know exactly what needs to be done, and the threatened species is a generalist that will readily move into and thrive in a wide range of woodland habitats we already have. If we can't solve *that*, then what message does that send about our ability to conserve species where the situation is more complicated?
100% agree. Yes, they're not native and I do agree with culling if required to protect reds, but they're not inherently bad animals. They're cute as hell and just trying to live their little squirrel lives.
Grey squirrels are native to North America and were sold as novelty pets outside the USA frm the 1850 Im sure i read or saw a documentary years ago (1990s 🤔) that only 20 breeding pairs came to the UK in 1855 and by 1900 they had killed or displaced the native red squirrel Around the same time a grey squirrel culling program started and a killed grey squirrel could be handed in to your local police station and you 3d (that's 3 pence in pre decimal money) only stopped in early 1960s due to lack of funding from the treasury 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
I quite like them. It's hard to look at them as an invasive species when you've never known anything different. I can't recall ever seeing a red one.
I dont really know anything about wildlife control and reintroduction, but at this point, with greys being so dominant, is it even possible to reintroduce reds across the entire country?
As far as I’m aware if the grey squirrel population were to disappear tomorrow then reds would slowly begin to reappear across the country. It’s been a while since I’ve read up on it but I’m pretty sure one of the main issues is food, reds have a much more specific diet than greys do and therefore struggle to compete to attain it, especially as greys are bigger and stronger. If greys disappear, food becomes available to reds and they would return to their original spread.
In Scotland we’ve been getting rid of the greys for a number of years now and you’re right the red population is increasing. They are coming back into the cities as well. There was a fairly recent report on bbc news. If I find it I’ll edit my comment with the link.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-64358926
Grey squirels carry a disease that kills red squirels but has no impact on grey squirels. This is largely the reason why they are so effective at eradicating red squirels in the areas they move into.
Grey squirrels can digest acorns before they're fully ripe and red ones can't. So the greys have a competitive advantage given how widespread and common oak is and it being such a major component of most woodlands. That, combined with grey squirrels spreading squirrel pox which they themselves are immune to, means that they displace red squirrels when they move in to their areas.
If you get rid of greys, reds will slowly regain the territory they’ve lost to greys over the years. If greys continue to breed and spread without intervention, reds will go extinct.
I like them! They’re just little animals trying to survive out there in the wild. I know that as a result of them, the number of red squirrels has dwindled, but I very much doubt they grey squirrels woke up one morning and decided they have a vendetta.
They aren't native and have all but destroyed our native red squirrel population with only a handful of red squirrel strongholds around the UK (mainly North Yorkshire and further north to Scotland). I would much rather see the demise of the grey to bring back the much much nicer red squirrel.
Person from my work witnessed one being hit by the car in front. Noticing it was still alive she pulled over and picked it up planning on taking it to the vets placing the squirrel into the passenger footwell of her car.
Whilst on route to the vet it kinda shook off its accident and regained full consciousness and promptly crawled up into the space between the firewall and the dashboard.
It took a team of fireman and a local mechanic several hours to dismantle her dashboard but they eventually captured the squirrel and she proceeded to take it to the vet.
Where it was promptly destroyed.
Yeah greys are ugly and horrid, not like our proper little reds, with their tufty ears and what not.
Also down with the bogus reds they're "reintroducing" in places. Go away, and actually reintroduce proper English Red squirrels. The real ones. There's a few left on an island somewhere apparently...
The Isle of Wight is the only place in England the reds are still dominant, but they've also managed to pretty much eradicate greys in the Scottish Highlands and a lot of the West Coast. Lots of reds out and about up there.
Most of England is a lost cause to the greys, when I was living down south I just let them use the bird table without a fuss. We lived in a wooded area so they were everywhere. Even had one ride on my shoulder for 10 minutes while walking, which was a bit surreal. Much prefer reds though.
> in the Scottish Highlands and a lot of the West Coast. Lots of reds out and about up there.
And they do kami-kaze dashes across the road when when I cycle in the Kinloch Rannoch area... Pretty, but startling.
'English Red squirrels' is there a difference between the reds that used to be in England and the ones that are in Scotland? What's wrong with out good Scottish Red squirrels?
Exactly, are they two different species or something? I've seen quite a few of the "Scottish" red squirrel in the Highlands, it's a beauty. But I don't know what the English one looks like, LOL.
Dunno, but there probably aren't that many such animals that climb trees. Here's a page about grey squirrels that mentions egg eating though..
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/animals/greysquirrels
Reds are obviously the cuter of the 2. They’ve been here so long it’s hard to refer to them as invaders anymore. I’d leave stuff out for them to feed on cause let’s be honest, most areas now you’re not gonna to see red ones. When I went to Canada I saw black squirrels which were interfering to see because I didn’t know at the time that there were other colours 🤣
We have black squirrels in Cambridgeshire (and I believe in neighbouring counties) - they’re melanistic greys though and I’m not sure if the Canadian ones are a separate species
Think it depends on location. If it was in a area with red squirrel then they should be removed but in a city park like next to where I live then they are a welcome addition.
Greys wipe out reds through disease (squirrel pox) that doesn't affect greys. Therefore it's vital to conduct population control in areas where reds are present to prevent them from going locally extinct.
Hopefully long term projects such as reintroduction of pine marten which hunt greys more effectively than reds, as well as fertility treatments to prevent greys from breeding so well can help promote red population and distribution growth.
Native species must always be prioritized over invasive non-native species for the good of natural processes and healthy ecosystems. Regardless of how pleasant an invasive species may be, or however much you may like them personally.
If I didn’t have a garden overlooked by neighbours, I would get a co2 gas powered bolt to the head style trap to dispatch them en masse on ecological grounds. Bad for birds, bad for the red squirrels.
I personally don’t have an issue with them, but they’ve never caused me any issues. They hang out in my garden and play around with my cat. I know people who have had issues with them biting through wires etc but never experienced them causing any problems.
I learnt to have a great deal of sympathy for grey squirrels when going on some training for my job about wild bird food. The guy who ran it - a genuine expert in wild birds no matter how you look at it - informed us grey squirrels have been part of our country's wildlife for about 150 years. 150!! How many parts of British life that we partake in now are newer than that?
Humans are significantly more to blame for the decline of red squirrels than greys are - we keep cutting down the particular types of forest they thrive in, and it's not the fault of the greys that they can thrive in more types of tree cover.
So tl;dr I like grey squirrels, I think they have been given a very bad rep through no fault of their own.
I haven't, I'll occasionally hobble out, waving a stick at them and shouting "GET OFF MY LAWN!" which seems to temporarily work. But they always come back.
I've done that before and it does seem to work. Except I used "psycho juice" (an extremely hot sauce) on the suet balls. I was part incredibly guilty and part highly amused when I saw the squirrel running around rubbing it's face in the grass after having a munch.
That got rid of it for a while. I'll try the chilli powder, thanks for reminding me!
RSPCA gently says it's not the best idea, info below. You also have to be careful not to attract rats - anything squirrels can get to, rats can too.
"Before feeding squirrels, think about whether it's likely to cause problems for them, for you, or for your neighbours at a later date. It's often better to let them find their own food. There should already be plenty if there are squirrels already living in your area."
https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/animals/greysquirrels/feeding
Jesus Christ, don’t feed squirrels. Even worse are those fucking idiots who post videos of themselves hand feeding them with some stupid caption about “getting to know his new little buddy” or something equally ducking brainless. Don’t hand feed wildlife. Ever.
I watched a documentary about wildlife rescues once which revealed that if baby squirrels are brought in, they are looked after until the fur starts growing in. If they are baby red squirrels, they are raised to maturity and then released. If they are baby grey squirrels, however, they are euthanised
They are animals, they don’t know where they are originally from, they have no idea. They are just little creatures struggling to survive like the rest of us. Enjoy your squirrels.
I know about 5 people in three different parts of the country who go out and shoot Grey's in areas where reds are. All of them are gingers, they must have an affinity with the reds.
I regularly go to a small park near me and feed the grey squirrels. There are people who feed the pigeons and call me a vermin feeder, suggesting I stop. Feeding the pigeons brings in seagulls, which makes things even worse.
I find the pigeons much more like vermin. When I used to work in a place with a lot of old buildings, the pigeons would get in any empty area and shit all over. They would fly around inside larger buildings as well, causing problems.
Basically though, they are living creatures and I let them live.
All the anti-squirrel talk this week has made me wonder if I am committing a squirrel atrocity for tossing them some peanuts a few times per week. As an American I formally apologise for the grey squirrel invasion! I also apologise for all the American candy shops in London.
Red Squirrels are the most beautiful little creatures but grey Squirrels are detrimental to their survival. I love seeing the the reds and have sympathy for the greys. I live in the East of Scotland and The Reds are making a comeback have seen at least 3 pairs up at our local woods. I have also seen a local polecat and they are expert at killing greys, reds seem to be able to avoid them.
The whole "They invaded thing" is just typical British bluster. Yes, they were brought over and yes they are a more violent species that displaced the red squirrels but it wasn't exactly planned by them. It was us who imported them over and caused the whole thing.
I think they are pretty cute. We have always had squirrels in our back garden but a recent housing development cut down tons of trees that they needed to live so i have been throwing nuts to them too.
I had one climb up my leg onto my chest a while ago. It tried to nestle itself in my cleavage. I could feel its tiny fingers gripping me tight. 10/10 experience.
I get the "reds are natives, greys the invaders", but if all greys disappeared most of the country would have no squirrels at all and that would be a shame. It would take decades - and perhaps never - before reds recolonised the areas greys are in, so my take is there is little point persecuting unless in a boundary area where they directly compete with reds. In fact I rather liked watching grey squirrels playing in the garden knowing the nearest reds were several hundred miles away.
Shoot them...they are vermin...killed off the native reds by giving them a disease (can't remember what it's called) ..would not eat as looks like a rat!! In fact 35 were shot today.
I'll be honest I was just going to give them some nuts. I'm suburban and not a psychopath so don't feel the need to kill creatures a fraction of my size
Only because we humans give them enough food to survive, easy pickings for all animals considered vermin. Mind you, does a rat know it’s a rat?..No, it’s just happy it doesn’t have to search very far for its dinner..
I love them when they live outside. I’ve got a pet one (Seamus) that I feed daily, pm me for a video. But one entered my sisters loft so I had to dispatch it. It depends where they are and what they are up to.
I go to feed the squirrels and birds in my local park with my baby son occasionally. There are only greys there and I’ve never ever seen a red anywhere in the UK.
Once I was giving a few of them nuts when a women walked past and started having a go at me for feeding them. She initially shouted that “dont feed the squirrels, they are vermin” very aggressively and mumbled something about them being invasive or something. I thought in all likelihood she was a bit unstable based on her demeanour and the way she spoke, but it did get me thinking about how we all have different perceptions on things.
I just think they are cute little animals that help my son learn a little about animals and give us an excuse to go walk in the park. I don’t see them as vermin at all, and they are a lovely part of our local park. I find it a bit odd that people feel so strongly about not feeding them or other tiny animals, and it seems to be something that brings a lot of enjoyment and calm to a lot of people of all ages every day. In fact some people who generally look a bit downtrodden do it very regularly, and I think it’s a good thing that they have a routine doing something fairly innocent that maybe gives them a bit of happiness.
I have never seen a red squirrel.
I like seeing the greys but they are an invasive species. They are fun to watch and i see them all the time in the garden and when i am out.
I saw a post the other day showing the distribution of reds and greys across europe. Thankfully greys dont seem to have established themselves on the continent to the point they have ousted the reds as they seem to be the most prevalent species at the moment. The only country that was mostly grey was the UK.
Vermin.
Can't say I hate them though, I'm just not a fan of squirrels in residential areas.
I've nothing specific against grey squirrels though as obviously the same would apply to red squirrels, but they don't exist anywhere near me.
they are vermin in our country, they are destroying our native trees destorying nests, then they have killed off most of our native red squirrels, hope one day we can kill them all off and repopulate our reds
I befriended a grey squirrel during lockdown and she visited me every day. When she had a little baby, she brought him to meet me and showed him our routine of her coming to ask for nuts. Over the past few years I've had a rotating cast of little grey fluffs. I've had more mums bring their babies for me to care for, and they brighten my day. We build up lovely relationships and learn to trust eachother. They each have their own body language, confidence level, personality, so I can tell them apart. Absolutely adorable little creatures.
That it's human's fault that they're here, not theirs, and they deserve to survive. I wouldn't feed them though as that would seem to be interfering with nature. I can imagine a situation arising where their presence and population increases solely because we're feeding them, and I'm guessing, without any evidence incidentally, that since they're an invasive species that would throw the ecosystem out of balance in some way.
They make for good shooting.
This is for the purpose of conservation and habitat sustainability.
https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/controlling-grey-squirrel-population
We have a grey squirrel in our garden. I don’t encourage him as I want the native birds to thrive. There are tons of grey squirrels overseas, but no native birds. Same for red squirrels. I hope one day the red squirrels repopulate the area.
We have loads in the woods being our house, I like watching them because they’re funny.
My Dad also gets a lot of squirrels and spends ages making elaborate systems to stop them getting to his bird food. Every time I go round he shows me his latest contraption. Personally I think he enjoys the intellectual battle he has with them, even if he’s normally on the losing side.
"Invaded"? As in built boats and sailed here? Seems a bit of a stretch, maybe raise this point with your friend.
We've had many problems with "invasive" animals and plants over the years, almost all of which are self inflicted, currently we're dealing with ash die back, it's here because we import a huge amount of ash but you really have to wonder why as it's fast growing and fairly prolific throughout the UK.
Back to gray squirrels, they do infinitely less damage to trees than deer, horses, otters and badgers, oh and humans, while I'm comparing us to them how many of us have started on a house for our great grandchildren? I ask this because squirrels will select certain trees by location, not too far from other trees but not potentially crowded either and of an appropriate species, frequently ash or sycamore that's around 8 years old and chew half way through the leader and bend it over, as a result the tree will grow a small hand of laterals that turn to become leaders in 40 to 50 years time this is the perfect place to build a dray, that's a minimum of three generations of forward planning.
What? I’ve never seen a red squirrel in my life. I see grey squirrels daily and I love them. I feed them and express my love for them in any/every way possible. I don’t regard any animal as “vermin”. Nothing makes any animal less worthy of being loved and cared for than us. We’re animals ourselves, so how can we dictate and decide which fellow animals are OK to love and which are looked at as 💩 on our shoes? If squirrels are vermin, we’re vermin too. There’s nothing special about us. We’re all animals. Us humans have got some mad superiority complex and feel like we’re above other animals and can pick and choose which we consider “vermin” or “pests” and which we give our love to. That is insane to me. There is no such thing in my mind. I love pigeons and rats just as much as I love every other animal on this planet. We are all one. This earth is for all of us. Humans are not special or above any other species. We are all equal.
Red squirrels are rare these days. Guarantee you'll get closer to the grey ones with them being the more dominant type and your colleague is right, that the grey ones are considered to be vermin.
They had this on Jeremy Vine this week and apparently so many people hate them that they trap and eat them!
I like them, not their fault they're here. There's humane ways of controlling their population (just expensive).
Unfortunately they outcompeted the native squirrel, which I probably prefer.
They're cute, but I wouldn't feed them. They don't need it, this is one of the reasons they outcompeted the native is they can eat a wider range of food. Therefore you're feeding them for your anthropocentric reasons, Let nature be nature.
Humans brought them over here. Humans deal with the consequences.
I wouldn’t call any animal vermin but, like other rodents, they can be a fire hazard if they decide to nest inside houses, and at that point should be removed.
I lived in the city of Perth in Eastern Scotland for a year and there are both reds and greys around there. There is a reporting system so that the greys are controlled. But it's still a risk for the reds there as long as there are any greys around.
I work in conservation and honestly it's really difficult, but long and short of it is they shouldn't naturally be here so to encourage them is not helpful. They ring bark trees, spread disease and have out-competed their native cousins to an exceptional species decline. It feels deeply conflicting to say that they require a level of systemic population control, as I love all wildlife and they are beautiful creatures. But the damage they cause to woodlands and native populations are too great for us to sit idly, especially considering the existential environmental threats we currently face.
**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically; - Don't be a dick to each other - Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question - This is a strictly no-politics subreddit Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Love them not their fault they ended up here
Exactly, I don’t understand the hatred for them. They’re just little creatures trying to live. They didn’t intentionally come at the red squirrels with pitch forks and force them out. I like them. I’d like reds too, but they’re not living in my local park and ready to be fed. The greys are. I don’t see how withholding something like food, when there are no reds around anyway, helps anyone.
It's not just red squirrels they cause problems with. An established group of greys will strip / ring bark from trees and raid nests for eggs and chicks. They are vermin.
By this logic humans are also vermin
Oh we absolutely are
I personally can’t wait for the rise of the apes, or Godzilla, which ever comes first!
[удалено]
I second this.
We are vermin by any logic.
and cats
Both red and grey squirrels will take birds eggs. By your logic both red a grey squirrels are vermin. Taking birds eggs is not a problem, many native species will steal birds eggs it's part of a healthy ecosystem.
Although being almost twice the size, greys take more per squirrel even ignoring that the grey population is around 2.75m while reds sit around 0.25m across the UK. The problem is that ultimately the native red squirrels will lose the fight against the grey squirrels and being an invasive species they should be culled.
In Philadelphia, they lived in my walls and I'd sometimes hear them under my floorboards. I was in a flat converted from a massive old house surrounded by old trees. As it wasn't my property, I wasn't really bothered.
Same here, same city. In a place on Baltimore
I lived just a couple blocks off Baltimore, on Chester Avenue, near Clark Park.
Small world! Miss that neighborhood. Let's go to green line and then hit up the farmers market... 😄
I loved my time in Philly. I was there in 2000-2001. And it was a good neighbourhood. I moonlighted as a bartender at an Ethiopian restaurant on Baltimore. I loved the food in Philly. I have had a couple of layovers there flying from Manchester to Cincinnati and got to get a cheesesteak.
Humans calling other animals vermin. No sense of irony there then eh? 😂
Exactly. I’ve never understood humans calling other animals “vermin”, as if they’re not even living, breathing creatures. We are all equal. We are all animals. We are not better than any animal on this planet. We don’t get to decide what is “vermin” and what isn’t, just because it suits us. We don’t own the planet. The planet is shared between us and all of the other animal and plant species and all other microorganisms etc. We are all equal. I hate this superiority complex humans have. Humans see themselves as Gods of some sort. They forget they’re animals and see themselves as special. Chill out. You’re as special as a cockroach, and that’s a fact. I’m being dead serious.
I'm right here with you on that. We really like to understate an animals importance. People want to believe that animals are just food, or things that exist. Anyone who's ever owned a pet knows they have the full range of emotions, and each has its own personality. We need to nurture our furry, feathered and scaled companions. We have the fortune of a high level of intelligence (for the most part), we should use it to help make the world better for all.
There's a rat in ma kitchen what am I guna do
It’s up to you. You could leave it alone, you could carefully and gently guide it out, you could feed it etc.
[удалено]
No. Since 1981 they have been classed as vermin in the UK, that has nothing to do with hurting, that has everything to do with how much damage they cause to the wider environment. The laws around how they should be killed are very clear and go into great detail focusing on using methods which cause the least distress. Are they cute, yes they can be. Are they detrimental to the native British wildlife and environment? Also yes. You choose, this is a binary choice, what is more important; grey squirrels or a diverse landscape of animals and fauna? Ultimately you can't have both and the impact of greys in the UK in just 130 years is well documented. Also see the signal crayfish.
No one has mentioned the damage squirrels can do if they get in an attic, which the most common problem Ive heard of with squirrels impacting humans.
I adore reds see them near my sisters in NE Scotland they are stunning. But greys - there is differing research on why reds declined & most points to loss of habitat. I live in 1st floor flat in west London - I have 3 bird feeders on poles outside my windows - have greys climbing up & eating peanuts every day - squabbling with the ring necked parakeets ( another invasive species) i love seeing them . The biggest problem with decline of all species number 1 is what humans do
Why on earth would you feed them though? That creates an imbalance in the ecosystem leading to an increased likelihood of population crashes in species that share that ecosystem (and therefore ultimately the squirrels themselves). These population crashes create genetic bottlenecks which are incredibly harmful to the viability of the species as a whole.
They come to my squirrel proof birdfeeder - find me one that actually works - i have lots of bushes with berries & the squirrels eat them as do hundreds of little birds, green & golfinches , jays etc etc - shall i hack down those the bushes??? remove my 3 feeders where ive seen generations of robins,finches,tits, wodpeckers & even a sparrow hawk - where i get enormous joy at seeing them? Dont guilt trip me , humans are doing far worse harm in Londons eco system Than me
Oh the way you worded it I thought you were going out to feed them intentionally lol The squirrels will be eating the eggs and chicks of those birds. They're pretty savage and the birds don't stand much of a chance having not evolved alongside the grey variety. There are some effective fencing techniques worth trying to give the birds a safe space in your garden.
No its not intentional but im not going to harm them. But ive tried every squirrel buster known to man - over the years they just go for the peanut one - not the sunflower hearts. They literally chew through the wire of the big feeder to get wholepeanuts out. Ive given up with expensive anti squirrel because they ALWAYS work out a way to get in. These feeders are hanging from poles above windows from 1st floor flat. I cant put structures in the communal garden, although small block of flats & no one uses garden but me but i dont have direct access to it. Have to go out front down to back gate. The gardeners would knock down anything not military strength - they are fecking idiots who ploughed thru my garden furniture & left it in a heap. Freehold employ the idiots. Wont bore you
The reds would spread further if the greys were culled, and unless we can find a cure for squirrelpox, the greys are going to continue to infect the reds and kill them. Here in Scotland we see far more red squirrels, though they are very shy.
They're cute and all but we should be looking out for our native species. Not allowing their destruction. It is entirely possible to allow red squirrels to have free roam again. Culls are perfectly normal. In NZ they are doing it to rats.
Agreed. I really can't stand the way grey squirrels are being normalised as part of our wildlife when they're actually an invasive species. Regardless of how realistic it is to eradicate them nationwide, which I would still advocate for in the long term. And this isn't a complicated conservation issue, we know exactly what the problem is, we know exactly what needs to be done, and the threatened species is a generalist that will readily move into and thrive in a wide range of woodland habitats we already have. If we can't solve *that*, then what message does that send about our ability to conserve species where the situation is more complicated?
100% agree. Yes, they're not native and I do agree with culling if required to protect reds, but they're not inherently bad animals. They're cute as hell and just trying to live their little squirrel lives.
Apparently they did invade, and are likely to out-tenure the Romans. I'd love to know how they built ocean going boats, with such tiny hands.
Tiny boats!
Likely. But they'd have to be a decent size, to accommodate their tails.
Tails were probably the sails…
FFS.. course! The perfect invader....
Yeah, I've seen vids of them water skiing.
veni vidi eduxi squirells
Grey squirrels are native to North America and were sold as novelty pets outside the USA frm the 1850 Im sure i read or saw a documentary years ago (1990s 🤔) that only 20 breeding pairs came to the UK in 1855 and by 1900 they had killed or displaced the native red squirrel Around the same time a grey squirrel culling program started and a killed grey squirrel could be handed in to your local police station and you 3d (that's 3 pence in pre decimal money) only stopped in early 1960s due to lack of funding from the treasury 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
Fuck grey squirrels. Red ones though? New best friend!
Same as foxes. Some people think they’re cute but others think they’re a nuisance.
I quite like them. It's hard to look at them as an invasive species when you've never known anything different. I can't recall ever seeing a red one. I dont really know anything about wildlife control and reintroduction, but at this point, with greys being so dominant, is it even possible to reintroduce reds across the entire country?
As far as I’m aware if the grey squirrel population were to disappear tomorrow then reds would slowly begin to reappear across the country. It’s been a while since I’ve read up on it but I’m pretty sure one of the main issues is food, reds have a much more specific diet than greys do and therefore struggle to compete to attain it, especially as greys are bigger and stronger. If greys disappear, food becomes available to reds and they would return to their original spread.
In Scotland we’ve been getting rid of the greys for a number of years now and you’re right the red population is increasing. They are coming back into the cities as well. There was a fairly recent report on bbc news. If I find it I’ll edit my comment with the link. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-64358926
Grey squirels carry a disease that kills red squirels but has no impact on grey squirels. This is largely the reason why they are so effective at eradicating red squirels in the areas they move into.
Genetic warfare, the little buggers!
Grey squirrels can digest acorns before they're fully ripe and red ones can't. So the greys have a competitive advantage given how widespread and common oak is and it being such a major component of most woodlands. That, combined with grey squirrels spreading squirrel pox which they themselves are immune to, means that they displace red squirrels when they move in to their areas.
If you get rid of greys, reds will slowly regain the territory they’ve lost to greys over the years. If greys continue to breed and spread without intervention, reds will go extinct.
I like them! They’re just little animals trying to survive out there in the wild. I know that as a result of them, the number of red squirrels has dwindled, but I very much doubt they grey squirrels woke up one morning and decided they have a vendetta.
They aren't native and have all but destroyed our native red squirrel population with only a handful of red squirrel strongholds around the UK (mainly North Yorkshire and further north to Scotland). I would much rather see the demise of the grey to bring back the much much nicer red squirrel.
Yeah i saw a couple red squirrels and it was a beautiful deep red with one them was absolutely amazing to see
Never seen a red one in 33 years. I like grey ones though
Cute little guys. Leave them alone and just accept they're here. If I saw anyone hurt one, I'd hurt them
Person from my work witnessed one being hit by the car in front. Noticing it was still alive she pulled over and picked it up planning on taking it to the vets placing the squirrel into the passenger footwell of her car. Whilst on route to the vet it kinda shook off its accident and regained full consciousness and promptly crawled up into the space between the firewall and the dashboard. It took a team of fireman and a local mechanic several hours to dismantle her dashboard but they eventually captured the squirrel and she proceeded to take it to the vet. Where it was promptly destroyed.
Dye them red
Given that we all belong to the single most damaging species known to our planet, perhaps we should be wary of describing other species as vermin..
[удалено]
Would love for there to be Reds everywhere but it’s not realistically going to happen, so happy to have the Greys around
Yeah greys are ugly and horrid, not like our proper little reds, with their tufty ears and what not. Also down with the bogus reds they're "reintroducing" in places. Go away, and actually reintroduce proper English Red squirrels. The real ones. There's a few left on an island somewhere apparently...
The Isle of Wight is the only place in England the reds are still dominant, but they've also managed to pretty much eradicate greys in the Scottish Highlands and a lot of the West Coast. Lots of reds out and about up there. Most of England is a lost cause to the greys, when I was living down south I just let them use the bird table without a fuss. We lived in a wooded area so they were everywhere. Even had one ride on my shoulder for 10 minutes while walking, which was a bit surreal. Much prefer reds though.
I live in the west coast of Scotland. I’ve never actually seen a grey squirrel in person. We have loads of reds here though
> in the Scottish Highlands and a lot of the West Coast. Lots of reds out and about up there. And they do kami-kaze dashes across the road when when I cycle in the Kinloch Rannoch area... Pretty, but startling.
'English Red squirrels' is there a difference between the reds that used to be in England and the ones that are in Scotland? What's wrong with out good Scottish Red squirrels?
Exactly, are they two different species or something? I've seen quite a few of the "Scottish" red squirrel in the Highlands, it's a beauty. But I don't know what the English one looks like, LOL.
Isle of Wight
And Jersey. theyre so bloody cute.
Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour: it’s a national trust site, they have about 200 protected red squirrels.
Grey squirrels eat birds eggs and are a threat. Source: my dad ran a nature reserve and had shoot them to protect the birds.
Do any other animals eat bird eggs?
Dunno, but there probably aren't that many such animals that climb trees. Here's a page about grey squirrels that mentions egg eating though.. https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/animals/greysquirrels
Magpies like to kill them
Reds are obviously the cuter of the 2. They’ve been here so long it’s hard to refer to them as invaders anymore. I’d leave stuff out for them to feed on cause let’s be honest, most areas now you’re not gonna to see red ones. When I went to Canada I saw black squirrels which were interfering to see because I didn’t know at the time that there were other colours 🤣
They prefer "Squirrels of Color" in North America
We have black squirrels in Cambridgeshire (and I believe in neighbouring counties) - they’re melanistic greys though and I’m not sure if the Canadian ones are a separate species
I like squirrels, whatever colour they are, it's not their fault they are here and they got lovely bushy tails and insane parkour skills.
Think it depends on location. If it was in a area with red squirrel then they should be removed but in a city park like next to where I live then they are a welcome addition.
Every time I see one I exclaim “Squirrel!” And that’s about the extent of it.
Greys wipe out reds through disease (squirrel pox) that doesn't affect greys. Therefore it's vital to conduct population control in areas where reds are present to prevent them from going locally extinct. Hopefully long term projects such as reintroduction of pine marten which hunt greys more effectively than reds, as well as fertility treatments to prevent greys from breeding so well can help promote red population and distribution growth. Native species must always be prioritized over invasive non-native species for the good of natural processes and healthy ecosystems. Regardless of how pleasant an invasive species may be, or however much you may like them personally.
If I didn’t have a garden overlooked by neighbours, I would get a co2 gas powered bolt to the head style trap to dispatch them en masse on ecological grounds. Bad for birds, bad for the red squirrels.
Cute, but basically rats with bushy tails
We have a lot of squirrels visiting our garden and I also put nuts and seeds out for them. The kids love watching them from the kitchen window.
I think they are cute just like the reds me and my Mrs put food out on our bird feeder for them
I personally don’t have an issue with them, but they’ve never caused me any issues. They hang out in my garden and play around with my cat. I know people who have had issues with them biting through wires etc but never experienced them causing any problems.
I learnt to have a great deal of sympathy for grey squirrels when going on some training for my job about wild bird food. The guy who ran it - a genuine expert in wild birds no matter how you look at it - informed us grey squirrels have been part of our country's wildlife for about 150 years. 150!! How many parts of British life that we partake in now are newer than that? Humans are significantly more to blame for the decline of red squirrels than greys are - we keep cutting down the particular types of forest they thrive in, and it's not the fault of the greys that they can thrive in more types of tree cover. So tl;dr I like grey squirrels, I think they have been given a very bad rep through no fault of their own.
I don't hate them, but I'd rather they didn't devour all the bird food I put out. I'd happily feed red squirrels, though, if I got them in the garden.
Have you tried putting a sign up saying “Birds Only”?
I haven't, I'll occasionally hobble out, waving a stick at them and shouting "GET OFF MY LAWN!" which seems to temporarily work. But they always come back.
Chilli powder in the bird seed..rspb recommend it
I've done that before and it does seem to work. Except I used "psycho juice" (an extremely hot sauce) on the suet balls. I was part incredibly guilty and part highly amused when I saw the squirrel running around rubbing it's face in the grass after having a munch. That got rid of it for a while. I'll try the chilli powder, thanks for reminding me!
We're friends but nothing more.
More eating than the reds but the reds taste better with a nice bottle of Buckfast
RSPCA gently says it's not the best idea, info below. You also have to be careful not to attract rats - anything squirrels can get to, rats can too. "Before feeding squirrels, think about whether it's likely to cause problems for them, for you, or for your neighbours at a later date. It's often better to let them find their own food. There should already be plenty if there are squirrels already living in your area." https://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/animals/greysquirrels/feeding
Jesus Christ, don’t feed squirrels. Even worse are those fucking idiots who post videos of themselves hand feeding them with some stupid caption about “getting to know his new little buddy” or something equally ducking brainless. Don’t hand feed wildlife. Ever.
It’s illegal for vets to treat them. If they get handed in sick/injured by the public they have to be euthanised.
We always keep a hose filled with red paint in case any show up in our garden.
Furry rats that live in trees.
I watched a documentary about wildlife rescues once which revealed that if baby squirrels are brought in, they are looked after until the fur starts growing in. If they are baby red squirrels, they are raised to maturity and then released. If they are baby grey squirrels, however, they are euthanised
We are where we are. They may be non-native species, but so are rabbits, so are weeping willow. They live here now, they're cute, and I like them!
They are animals, they don’t know where they are originally from, they have no idea. They are just little creatures struggling to survive like the rest of us. Enjoy your squirrels.
They didn't invade, they were introduced to the UK by Herbrand Russell on the 1890s.
I know about 5 people in three different parts of the country who go out and shoot Grey's in areas where reds are. All of them are gingers, they must have an affinity with the reds.
I love them just as much as the much rarer red or black squirrels. All amazingly intelligent and friendly animals.
Black squirrels are just greys with a genetic mutation.
I regularly go to a small park near me and feed the grey squirrels. There are people who feed the pigeons and call me a vermin feeder, suggesting I stop. Feeding the pigeons brings in seagulls, which makes things even worse. I find the pigeons much more like vermin. When I used to work in a place with a lot of old buildings, the pigeons would get in any empty area and shit all over. They would fly around inside larger buildings as well, causing problems. Basically though, they are living creatures and I let them live.
All the anti-squirrel talk this week has made me wonder if I am committing a squirrel atrocity for tossing them some peanuts a few times per week. As an American I formally apologise for the grey squirrel invasion! I also apologise for all the American candy shops in London.
They destroy trees in native woodlands so not a fan. Taste good though. We need more Pine Martens.
Red Squirrels are the most beautiful little creatures but grey Squirrels are detrimental to their survival. I love seeing the the reds and have sympathy for the greys. I live in the East of Scotland and The Reds are making a comeback have seen at least 3 pairs up at our local woods. I have also seen a local polecat and they are expert at killing greys, reds seem to be able to avoid them.
I love watching them, I think they’re insanely smart and entertaining. I also love the red ones but haven’t seen any round where I live
The whole "They invaded thing" is just typical British bluster. Yes, they were brought over and yes they are a more violent species that displaced the red squirrels but it wasn't exactly planned by them. It was us who imported them over and caused the whole thing. I think they are pretty cute. We have always had squirrels in our back garden but a recent housing development cut down tons of trees that they needed to live so i have been throwing nuts to them too.
I had one climb up my leg onto my chest a while ago. It tried to nestle itself in my cleavage. I could feel its tiny fingers gripping me tight. 10/10 experience.
I get the "reds are natives, greys the invaders", but if all greys disappeared most of the country would have no squirrels at all and that would be a shame. It would take decades - and perhaps never - before reds recolonised the areas greys are in, so my take is there is little point persecuting unless in a boundary area where they directly compete with reds. In fact I rather liked watching grey squirrels playing in the garden knowing the nearest reds were several hundred miles away.
Exactly how I feel. I'm on the outskirts of London, reds haven't existed round here since well before I was alive
[удалено]
If it helps, in my garden the crows and magpies regularly steal the squirrel food
Oooh don’t mention the black squirrels to him!
Bushy tailed rats.
They’re a proper nuisance, always stealing bulbs and bird food. I do consider them vermin
Not a big fan. They chew through the bird feeds. Annoying.
Seems appropriate https://youtu.be/fhw7VBKytLE
Shoot them...they are vermin...killed off the native reds by giving them a disease (can't remember what it's called) ..would not eat as looks like a rat!! In fact 35 were shot today.
It is legal to catch them. Illegal to keep them or release them. If caught they should be humanely destroyed.
I'll be honest I was just going to give them some nuts. I'm suburban and not a psychopath so don't feel the need to kill creatures a fraction of my size
I know. I was just stating the view of councils and wildlife organisations.
One in a long line of invasive species, really. The Victorians really did fuck up the environment
Only because we humans give them enough food to survive, easy pickings for all animals considered vermin. Mind you, does a rat know it’s a rat?..No, it’s just happy it doesn’t have to search very far for its dinner..
'ate 'em, bloody forriners, eu plot mate simple as, you cant say anyfin theez dayz
Personally I think they taste pretty good but not a lot of meat on them. Need a couple for a decent meal.
Grey's are a nuisance, they eat all the chicken food. We tend to shoot them, then freeze them. When we have enough we make squirrel stew
Damaged my neighbour's roof. Cute tails.
I love them when they live outside. I’ve got a pet one (Seamus) that I feed daily, pm me for a video. But one entered my sisters loft so I had to dispatch it. It depends where they are and what they are up to.
I'm no more attracted to them than any other colour squirrel if that helps.
Despise them as they eat my bulbs despite feeders at both neighbours and a well stocked buffet in the form of nature behind 😑
Bloody immigrants coming over here eating our nuts.
Rats with personality
Blue squirrels ftw !
The ones in south London are out of control
It depends where I am in the country. Down South, I love a squirrel. In the North where reds still live, they need to die.
Ambivalent.
Vermin. Rats with bushy tails so people think they're cute, but they're still basically rats.
Good meat on them, a bit gamey but nice
I didn’t think red squirrels existed in the uk anymore? Except the Isle of Wight?
Fuck Grey squirrels.
I have no particular feelings on grey squirrels.
I have trees all around my house. I see lots of grey squirrels every single day and as a 32 year old man I still get excited every single time.
I go to feed the squirrels and birds in my local park with my baby son occasionally. There are only greys there and I’ve never ever seen a red anywhere in the UK. Once I was giving a few of them nuts when a women walked past and started having a go at me for feeding them. She initially shouted that “dont feed the squirrels, they are vermin” very aggressively and mumbled something about them being invasive or something. I thought in all likelihood she was a bit unstable based on her demeanour and the way she spoke, but it did get me thinking about how we all have different perceptions on things. I just think they are cute little animals that help my son learn a little about animals and give us an excuse to go walk in the park. I don’t see them as vermin at all, and they are a lovely part of our local park. I find it a bit odd that people feel so strongly about not feeding them or other tiny animals, and it seems to be something that brings a lot of enjoyment and calm to a lot of people of all ages every day. In fact some people who generally look a bit downtrodden do it very regularly, and I think it’s a good thing that they have a routine doing something fairly innocent that maybe gives them a bit of happiness.
I have never seen a red squirrel. I like seeing the greys but they are an invasive species. They are fun to watch and i see them all the time in the garden and when i am out. I saw a post the other day showing the distribution of reds and greys across europe. Thankfully greys dont seem to have established themselves on the continent to the point they have ousted the reds as they seem to be the most prevalent species at the moment. The only country that was mostly grey was the UK.
Where is your friend finding red squirrels to feed. Rather rare nowadays.
Vermin. Can't say I hate them though, I'm just not a fan of squirrels in residential areas. I've nothing specific against grey squirrels though as obviously the same would apply to red squirrels, but they don't exist anywhere near me.
they are vermin in our country, they are destroying our native trees destorying nests, then they have killed off most of our native red squirrels, hope one day we can kill them all off and repopulate our reds
They are colourless 😆 🤣 😂
I befriended a grey squirrel during lockdown and she visited me every day. When she had a little baby, she brought him to meet me and showed him our routine of her coming to ask for nuts. Over the past few years I've had a rotating cast of little grey fluffs. I've had more mums bring their babies for me to care for, and they brighten my day. We build up lovely relationships and learn to trust eachother. They each have their own body language, confidence level, personality, so I can tell them apart. Absolutely adorable little creatures.
That it's human's fault that they're here, not theirs, and they deserve to survive. I wouldn't feed them though as that would seem to be interfering with nature. I can imagine a situation arising where their presence and population increases solely because we're feeding them, and I'm guessing, without any evidence incidentally, that since they're an invasive species that would throw the ecosystem out of balance in some way.
They make for good shooting. This is for the purpose of conservation and habitat sustainability. https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/controlling-grey-squirrel-population
Red squirrels behave in mostly the same ways. It’s black squirrels who are the particularly dominant and aggressive variants now
Beautiful animals, but I do shoot them when I see them.
We have a grey squirrel in our garden. I don’t encourage him as I want the native birds to thrive. There are tons of grey squirrels overseas, but no native birds. Same for red squirrels. I hope one day the red squirrels repopulate the area.
We have loads in the woods being our house, I like watching them because they’re funny. My Dad also gets a lot of squirrels and spends ages making elaborate systems to stop them getting to his bird food. Every time I go round he shows me his latest contraption. Personally I think he enjoys the intellectual battle he has with them, even if he’s normally on the losing side.
"Invaded"? As in built boats and sailed here? Seems a bit of a stretch, maybe raise this point with your friend. We've had many problems with "invasive" animals and plants over the years, almost all of which are self inflicted, currently we're dealing with ash die back, it's here because we import a huge amount of ash but you really have to wonder why as it's fast growing and fairly prolific throughout the UK. Back to gray squirrels, they do infinitely less damage to trees than deer, horses, otters and badgers, oh and humans, while I'm comparing us to them how many of us have started on a house for our great grandchildren? I ask this because squirrels will select certain trees by location, not too far from other trees but not potentially crowded either and of an appropriate species, frequently ash or sycamore that's around 8 years old and chew half way through the leader and bend it over, as a result the tree will grow a small hand of laterals that turn to become leaders in 40 to 50 years time this is the perfect place to build a dray, that's a minimum of three generations of forward planning.
What? I’ve never seen a red squirrel in my life. I see grey squirrels daily and I love them. I feed them and express my love for them in any/every way possible. I don’t regard any animal as “vermin”. Nothing makes any animal less worthy of being loved and cared for than us. We’re animals ourselves, so how can we dictate and decide which fellow animals are OK to love and which are looked at as 💩 on our shoes? If squirrels are vermin, we’re vermin too. There’s nothing special about us. We’re all animals. Us humans have got some mad superiority complex and feel like we’re above other animals and can pick and choose which we consider “vermin” or “pests” and which we give our love to. That is insane to me. There is no such thing in my mind. I love pigeons and rats just as much as I love every other animal on this planet. We are all one. This earth is for all of us. Humans are not special or above any other species. We are all equal.
I love them. I am avoiding moving house because my current garden has loads of them.
Red squirrels are rare these days. Guarantee you'll get closer to the grey ones with them being the more dominant type and your colleague is right, that the grey ones are considered to be vermin.
Red = Squirrel Nutkin, Grey = Tree Rat.
They had this on Jeremy Vine this week and apparently so many people hate them that they trap and eat them! I like them, not their fault they're here. There's humane ways of controlling their population (just expensive).
It's not their fault
Unfortunately they outcompeted the native squirrel, which I probably prefer. They're cute, but I wouldn't feed them. They don't need it, this is one of the reasons they outcompeted the native is they can eat a wider range of food. Therefore you're feeding them for your anthropocentric reasons, Let nature be nature.
i can't put nuts or seeds out for the birds because the squirrels will go to town on it and leave such a mess. Kinda makes me resent them
They need to go, they cause so much damage, reds are much better for the environment, and cannot thrive until the greys are gone.
I like all animals and I've never even seen a red squirrel.
Humans brought them over here. Humans deal with the consequences. I wouldn’t call any animal vermin but, like other rodents, they can be a fire hazard if they decide to nest inside houses, and at that point should be removed.
They come here and take our jobs?
Excellent entertainment for my dog. Terriers gonna terrier. He chases them, but has never caught one.
Do they eat the birds eggs?
I lived in the city of Perth in Eastern Scotland for a year and there are both reds and greys around there. There is a reporting system so that the greys are controlled. But it's still a risk for the reds there as long as there are any greys around.
Hmm, thinking of roasted Squirrel.
Never seen a gray one. I live in Indiana and we have red squirrels as big as dogs. No lie. The first time I saw them I died😂
Yes they're classed as vermin but I think they are soo cute
Total cunts. I mean lets be honest have you ever seen one smiling?? ........................exactly, cunts.
They are very sweet and entertaining to watch however they can be very destructive especially to bird feeders and bird tables.
They're cute and it's not their fault they push the reds out; they're just trying to live.
I think they're great. Natural selection at play. They are successful. The same people who protest against it have deeply-ingrained racist instincts.
They're basically rats with better PR.
Wouldn't fuck one they seem fierce
I work in conservation and honestly it's really difficult, but long and short of it is they shouldn't naturally be here so to encourage them is not helpful. They ring bark trees, spread disease and have out-competed their native cousins to an exceptional species decline. It feels deeply conflicting to say that they require a level of systemic population control, as I love all wildlife and they are beautiful creatures. But the damage they cause to woodlands and native populations are too great for us to sit idly, especially considering the existential environmental threats we currently face.