Red Squirrel Week

2 - 10 Oct 2010

They’re agile, cute and furry, and we’re nuts about them!  Red squirrels are one of the most loved animals in the UK.

With their distinctive russet fur, tufted ears and twitching tail, a red squirrel is always a captivating sight in the forests of the UK. Yet these flashes of red are becoming more and more scarce - the current population is estimated to be only 160,000.

Red squirrels are at risk from grey squirrels and are usually displaced within 15 years of the arrival of greys. Disease and habitat fragmentation are also key factors in their decline.

Spend a week seeing red¹ with Red Squirrel Week events at selected red squirrel sites across the UK.

Below is a list of events being run by organisations involved in red squirrel conservation work during Red Squirrel Week.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP!

Click here to adopt a red squirrel on Brownsea Island with the Dorset Wildlife Trust

Save our Squirrels, a Red Alert North England project, is currently the biggest single-species conservation project in the UK. Managed and directed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust, we have a budget of £1.15 million (half of which comes from the Heritage Lottery Fund) to provide red squirrel conservation and education activities through our team of 7 dedicated squirrel officers. Central to the success of the project is the creation and protection of 16 Red Squirrel Reserves in Northumberland, Cumbria and Lancashire: our activities are focused on the North of England as this is the last stronghold of the red squirrel in England, being home to approximately 80% of the remaining English population. However we also work closely with red squirrel conservation officers and organisations in the rest of the UK – particularly the South of Scotland – to ensure the continued survival of this engaging little animal in the UK. www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk

Click here to find out more about the Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project. The aim of this project is to influence the management of the Mid Wales forests to ensure the continued survival of the red squirrel in these woodlands. The Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project is a partnership of Carmarthenshire, Powys and Ceredigion County Councils, Foresty Commission, Countryside Council for Wales, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, Brecknock Wildlife Trust, National Trust, private forest managers and interested individuals. The group was established in 2002. You can report sightings of red squirrels in mid Wales (Powys, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion) to the Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project by clciking herehttp://www.wwbic.org.uk/redsquirrelproject

Click here to donate to the Red Squirrels in South Scotland project.

Click here to become a Friend of the Anglesey Red Squirrels

SEND IN YOUR RED SQUIRREL SIGHTING TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

• Report sightings of red or grey squirrels in Lancashire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to Cumbria Wildlife Trust via the web at: www.saveoursquirrels.org.uk
  
  
• Report sightings of red squirrels in Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders to the Red Squirrels In South Scotland project on line at: www.red-squirrels.org.uk
  
  
• Report sightings of red or grey squirrels in Anglesey or from across Wales via the web at: www.redsquirrels.info/sightings.html
  
  
• If you see a red squirrels in other areas send in your sighting to your nearest biological records centre or your local Wildlife Trust

Red Squirrel Week - Events

Coming soon.