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Does killing greys help the reds?
Does killing greys help the reds?
Culling has not been effective in controlling grey squirrel numbers. In the 1950s, 1.5 million squirrels were killed but recolonisation was extremely rapid.1 There are no public records of how many grey squirrels have been killed but it is likely to be tens of thousands each year (Silverman, 2015). It can result in increased local density, more damage to forests, and an increased spread of disease, much like the culling of badgers.1
A 2008 report by the University of Bristol’s School of Biological Sciences noted that there is very little evidence to support the idea that culling grey squirrels helps reds in any way and that ‘most grey squirrel control is ineffective.’1
References
Harris, S., Soulsbury, C., Iossa, G., 2008. University of Bristol. Available at https://onekindplanet.org/uploads/publications/0811_grey_squirrel_populations.pdf [Accessed 17 July 2020].
Text has been kindly reproduced, with a few minor alterations, from:
The vast majority of organisations are informing the public that grey squirrels cannot be released if they are trapped, and that they must be killed. This is false. If the squirrel is trapped (for example, in a bird feeder, on your property, or in netting in a park), free it. The law still permits freeing grey squirrels and releasing them where they were found. www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/wildlife/squirrels/injured
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