Squirrel pox
As reported in the woodlands blog last year, the red squirrel population in the UK is under threat. One of the threats is the parapox virus. This virus seemingly does little harm to grey squirrels (who act as a reservoir of infection); but red squirrels, once infected, develop skin ulcers, swellings around the eyes, mouth and genitals; it is not dissimilar in its effects to the myxomatosis virus in rabbits. An infected red squirrel will die within 15 days.
The first reports of this disease in red squirrels were from East Anglia in the 1970s. Whilst its spread has been documented across the U.K., there have been no reports of infected red squirrels in Scotland until now. Earlier this month, a diseased animal was examined in the South of Scotland Wildlife Hospital (Dumfries), and Edinburgh vets subsequently confirmed squirrel pox.
People are asked not to encourage the meeting of the two types of squirrels, for example through the use of feeders; and to be on the look-out for, and report red or grey squirrels that are ill.
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4 comments so far
Bob
6 July, 2007
I would disagree about the use of feeders. Providing that the feeders are cleaned regularly, and that any greys which turn up are caught and killed, then feeders (or bird tables) are a useful means of detecting and removing grey squirrels. On Anglesey there is a feed hopper which is an interesting example of this. It can be viewed online at http://www.redsquirrels.info/squirrelcam.html
Lynne
15 April, 2008
We are having a problem with the virus in native grey squirrels here in the US. I don’t see why you need to kill the grey squirrels. If the virus is already there and in the environment than it makes no sense to me to kill the greys. The virus is shed through dry scabs from lesions that can land on the ground and survive for months to years. The reds will eventually encounter the virus. They will develope an immunity over time. I realize that it is wiping out many of the red squirrels, but the virus is here in the US too and our greys are dying from it too. Our greys are supposed to have an immunity to the virus but it is killing them as well…explain that.??? I really think the research should be in finding a vaccine instead of killing the greys. You sound like our Fish & Game here in the US. Every time there is a problem animal the answer is to kill it rather than to let nature takes its course. Animals like humans have to adapt and nature has a way of helping this. The reds will develope an immunity well before they die out. Killing isn’t the answer!
How did the grey squirrel arrive in the UK? | The Woodlands.co.uk Blog
6 June, 2008
[…] greys out of one area and the neighbouring colonies just move in. Grey squirrels also carry the squirrel pox virus which, although it doesn’t seem to harm the greys, is a serious infection for red […]
Tony Davison
3 August, 2008
I read with interest some of the comments left on your site and am amazed at the ‘pro grey squirrel lobby’. The grey was introduced by misguided Victorian individuals without any regard to future consequences. Should we also accept the American crayfish in such a philanthropic manner, as is suggested by one of your non-English contributors? All to the detriment of our ‘accepted’ native species before anyone digresses into philosophical (and ridiculous) ego tripping about that which is native, etc. Have for instance your ‘PG’ contributors watched, as I have, beeches being ringed or nests being pulled out with both eggs and young taken by this voracious predator? As someone once wrote ‘The grey squirrel is a tree rat with good pr’. Sorry, but the ’spin’ on this one has worn a trifle thin and grey visitors on my land, or that of my friends or neighbours do not qualify ‘estate benefits’. They are however, provided with a one way ticket. Middle non ‘PCPG’ England still exists and long may it do so.