So you don't like grey squirrels?
Let me guess.
They have driven out the native red squirrels? (And you are especially thinking of the squirrel pox.)
They destroy trees and cause deforestation (and cost the economy millions of pounds)?
They reduce the bird population?
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If that is what is going through you mind, read on!
Red versus grey
First and foremost, it is important to remember that red squirrels became virtually extinct in the British Isles before grey squirrels were introduced! It happened because of habitat loss, and repeated reintroduction of red squirrels from continental Europe proved unsuccessful in the long run. Grey squirrels, however, proved to be a good, though accidental, ecological fit. The habitat chooses the animal, and, in the case of squirrels, Nature has spoken: it favours the greys. The current emphasis on nativeness is hardly logical: habitats change, and an animal that thrived in a given location several hundred years ago is not necessarily going to thrive there now, whereas a newcomer can fit in well. So why should the history of dispersal, rather than present-day ecological fitness, be the criterion of who belongs and who does not?
A great deal is made of the pox virus, as a factor in the disappearance of red squirrels. But they are far more likely to get it from fellow reds, rather than the greys. Furthermore, it is only one of a variety of diseases that red squirrels, no longer suited to the modern-day British habitat, succumb to.
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![UrbanSquirrelsAugust202117[1]_edited.jpg](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/6ef9e2_56c8bb2036a24a938e0d352b423eb4f0~mv2.jpg/v1/fill/w_492,h_301,al_c,q_80,usm_0.66_1.00_0.01,enc_auto/6ef9e2_56c8bb2036a24a938e0d352b423eb4f0~mv2.jpg)
The trees
The accusation that grey squirrels destroy trees is actually quite a strange one. They do exactly the opposite: they plant new trees by burying seeds and nuts, and they are known as some of Nature's greatest forest regenerators. It is true that squirrels, both red and grey ones, do feed on trees, but that does not mean that they destroy them! A distinction has to be made, however, between naturally growing forests, where the impact of grey squirrels is uniformly beneficial, and artificial forests or plantations, where squirrel feeding activity can cause some damage. But even that damage is statistically acceptable, estimated by the Forestry Commission to be just 5% (30% of canopy trees = destruction).
The trees
The accusation that grey squirrels destroy trees is actually quite a strange one. They do exactly the opposite: they plant new trees by burying seeds and nuts, and they are known as some of Nature's greatest forest regenerators. It is true that squirrels, both red and grey ones, do feed on trees, but that does not mean that they destroy them! A distinction has to be made, however, between naturally growing forests, where the impact of grey squirrels is uniformly beneficial, and artificial forests or plantations, where squirrel feeding activity can cause some damage. But even that damage is statistically acceptable, estimated by the Forestry Commission to be just 5% (30% of canopy trees = destruction).
The trees
The accusation that grey squirrels destroy trees is actually quite a strange one. They do exactly the opposite: they plant new trees by burying seeds and nuts, and they are known as some of Nature's greatest forest regenerators. It is true that squirrels, both red and grey ones, do feed on trees, but that does not mean that they destroy them! A distinction has to be made, however, between naturally growing forests, where the impact of grey squirrels is uniformly beneficial, and artificial forests or plantations, where squirrel feeding activity can cause some damage. But even that damage is statistically acceptable, estimated by the Forestry Commission to be just 5% (30% of canopy trees = destruction).
The birds
The accusation that grey squirrels destroy the bird population should be quick to deal with. After all, an extensive, government-funded monitoring programme concluded that the presence of grey squirrels does not reduce the bird population. And yet the accusations persist. Partly because squirrels, both grey and red ones, are opportunistic feeders who can, if they come across an unattended nest, take an egg or a chick. But it is important to remember that this activity is statistically negligible. And partly because some people simply take pleasure in killing and, as an excuse for their sadistic activity towards grey squirrels, say that they like birds!
