Have you seen a squirrel on the road or in your back garden in Donegal?
A new community wildlife initiative aimed at mapping the whereabouts of red and grey squirrels in North East Donegal is asking for your help. They want members of the public to report sightings of squirrels ’Dead or Alive’.
North East Donegal holds one of the last Native or Red Squirrel populations in the country but they are under threat from the invasive Grey Squirrel an introduced rodent from North America.
Anthony Robb the Coordinator of the newly established North East Donegal Squirrel project explained the situation on the ground.
“The greys are rapidly expanding their territories north and pushing the native Red squirrels before them. In recent years North East Donegal has seen a big influx of Red squirrels and now greys are starting to appear.
“If things are left unchecked Inishowen will be site of their last stand. We want to establish exactly where the red and grey populations are and how many is in each group. Armed with that information we can then undertake protective measures for our Native Reds”.
Red Squirrels are small mammals which depend on a woodland habitat to survive. Competition from grey squirrels, squirrel-pox virus, habitat fragmentation and road kills are their biggest threat.
Their colour ranges from almost brown to chestnut on their back with a white underside. Their distinctive ear tufts make them unmistakable to their invasive cousins the grey squirrels.
They can be found in both broadleaved and conifer forests as well as gardens and parklands feeding on a variety of nuts and seeds. They are protected under the Wildlife Act 1976 and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 and 2010.
Grey squirrels are non-native and were introduced from America into Ireland in 1911 and today they are now found all over Ireland. They can feed on a variety of nuts, fruit and flowers as well as stripping bark off trees to get to the sap.
Grey squirrels are larger, more adaptable and more aggressive. They can digest foods like acorns and beech nuts more efficiently than reds. It has also been recently discovered that grey squirrels are carriers of parapox virus, which is harmful to red squirrels. Grey squirrels are regarded as pests in forests.
The project was launched at a recent presentation night in Buncrana. A large crowd from local gun clubs and the Inishowen wildlife club listened with concern as Anthony highlighted the problem of the approaching grey squirrel invasion into Inishowen, one of the last strongholds of red squirrels in the country.
Members of the public are urged to keep an eye out for red or grey squirrels when they are out and about in their gardens. Squirrels will make the most of bird feeders at this time of the year and can often be seen when walking the dog in forests or parks.
Please report any sightings to Anthony on 0860724821, or online at www.donegalsquirrelproject.com
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