The National Lottery and Grey Squirrel Culling

The National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) has repeatedly awarded grants to conservation and woodland-restoration projects that include the lethal control of grey squirrels as part of their management plans.

These grants have helped finance:

• red-squirrel conservation programmes that involve culling greys
  
  

• woodland projects where “grey squirrel control” is written into the funding conditions
  
  

• landscape-scale “heritage” projects with budgets for trapping and killing grey squirrels
  
  

This funding continues despite public opposition and petitions calling for humane alternatives.

When members of the public buy lottery tickets, part of their ticket revenue goes to the NLHF, which has funded projects involving grey squirrel killing — even though this is not clearly disclosed to the public.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has financed numerous woodland and conservation projects that include the trapping and killing of grey squirrels.

Although the public generally believes their ticket money supports heritage, arts and community work, some of this funding is used for lethal grey-squirrel control as part of conservation plans.

This continues despite petitions and widespread public opposition to grey squirrel culling. 

The Royal Parks | kills grey squirrels and thousand of other animals

Freedom of Information requests made by Animal Aid revealed that more than 11,000 animals were culled in the Royal Parks between January 2013 and January 2017.
“Culling” in this context means deliberate killing carried out as part of park management operations.

Across Bushy Park, Greenwich Park, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Regent’s Park, Richmond Park and St James’s Park, the Royal Parks killed:

• 3,679 grey squirrels
  
  

• 330 foxes
  
  

• 2,657 rabbits
  
  

• 1,734 red and fallow deer
  
  

• 1,221 crows
  
  

• 268 geese
  
  

• 382 magpies
  
  

• 46 jays
  
  

• 1,025 pigeons
  
  

• 298 parakeets
  
  

The Royal Parks’ lethal-control programmes continue today, with ongoing killing of grey squirrels and other species each year.

In the case of Richmond Park, deer killed in annual culls are processed as venison, which the Royal Parks make available for commercial sale, including to restaurants. This practice has been publicly acknowledged.

Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group | conducts lethal grey squirrel control

The Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group (PDRSG) is one of several red-squirrel conservation organisations in northern England that undertake lethal control of grey squirrels. Their work is supported by a mixture of public and charitable funding, including significant grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and previous EU conservation programmes, which have historically financed grey-squirrel eradication projects across the UK.

PDRSG presents its rangers on its website as conservation workers. In practice, much of the ranger role consists of conducting trapping and killing operations targeting grey squirrels, typically using spring traps, air rifles or other lethal methods approved under UK law.

Killing lactating females and leaving dependent young

A detailed feature published by The Guardian illustrated the welfare issues inherent in these operations. The journalist accompanied a ranger (named in the article as Shuttleworth) while checking traps. When one trapped female squirrel was killed, the ranger checked the body and discovered she was lactating:

“The second was a female. After killing her, Shuttleworth gently squeezed milk from a teat. ‘She’s got young. So the young are now waiting.’”
– The Guardian

The article goes on to explain that dependent babies, hidden in an unseen drey, often cannot be located:

“Could Shuttleworth locate the squirrel’s drey and put its babies out of their misery? ‘How do you find the drey? If you hit an animal on the road, should you get out, see if it’s lactating and find the nest? It goes on and on.’”
– The Guardian

This reporting highlights a major ethical concern: when lactating females are killed, dependent young frequently die from dehydration or starvation, as their nests are rarely found during culling operations.

How the organisation presents its work

PDRSG publishes photographs of its rangers on its website, portraying their activities as conservation. Critics point out that this framing does not fully represent the reality of the work, which involves:

• setting and monitoring lethal traps
  
  

• killing trapped grey squirrels
  
  

• shooting grey squirrels where encountered
  
  

• dispatching animals after being confined in sacks
  
  

Animal-welfare concerns

While PDRSG states that its aim is to protect red squirrels, animal-welfare organisations argue that the lethal methods used in grey squirrel eradication — especially when they involve the unintended killing of mothers with dependent young — raise serious welfare and ethical issues.

These concerns are not limited to this group. They are systemic across grey-squirrel eradication programmes in the UK, which often involve methods that result in prolonged suffering for dependent young and distress for the animals involved.

Pest UK | carries out the killing of grey squirrels

On its website, Pest UK states:

“Grey squirrels can cause considerable damage to a property. They are considered an alien species and classed as vermin which means we can eliminate them. Poisons are not available for amateur or professional use for grey squirrels. The only options are to shoot or trap them. It’s illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild if you catch one. All dead squirrels should be deeply buried or incinerated.”

Several of these claims are misleading or incorrect.

Grey squirrels are NOT “classed as vermin” in UK law

Pest UK incorrectly states that grey squirrels are “classed as vermin.”

This is false.

✔ Under UK legislation grey squirrels are:

• listed as an invasive species under the IAS Order 2019
  
  

• listed under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981
  
  

• NOT classed as “vermin” in any statutory definition
  
  

“Vermin” is an old, informal term used in pest-control marketing —
not a legal status.

It is NOT always “illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild”

Pest UK's statement is incomplete and misleading.

It is correct that you cannot:

• capture a grey squirrel
  
  

• transport it somewhere else
  
  

• release it into a new location
  
  

However, it is not illegal to free a squirrel that has been accidentally trapped.

It is fully lawful to release a squirrel in situ when:

• it is caught in netting
  
  

• stuck in a bird feeder
  
  

• trapped in an attic, shed, garage
  
  

• confined unintentionally
  
  

• caught in wire, fencing, garden structures
  
  

• trapped indoors by accident
  
  

Freeing an animal from accidental entrapment is not a criminal “release” under:

• Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (s.14)
  
  

• IAS Order 2019
  
  

Natural England has confirmed in writing that releasing a squirrel at the point of capture is lawful.

Pest UK's statement ignores this important legal nuance.

“Eliminate” and “incinerate” language reveals Pest UK’s framing

Pest UK uses terms such as:

• “eliminate”
  
  

• “incinerate”
  
  

These words reflect an approach that reduces a sentient animal to waste material rather than acknowledging welfare concerns or humane alternatives.

While legal to write, such terminology is at odds with modern animal-welfare standards and the ethical expectations of many members of the public.

Pest UK’s claim that “the only options are to shoot or trap” is false

This statement is factually incorrect.

✔ There are more than two legal options:

1. Free the animal in situ if trapped accidentally
   
   

2. Transfer to a licensed wildlife centre or vet
   
   

3. Provide temporary first aid under the Animal Welfare Act 2006
   
   

4. Apply for a licence (A01/A02) under the IAS Order 2019
   
   

5. Use non-lethal exclusion and habitat modification
   
   

6. Repair entry points instead of killing
   
   

Shooting or trapping are not the only lawful or ethical possibilities.

Pest UK presents grey squirrel killing as the only legal option, but this is not accurate.
They misstate the legal status of grey squirrels, oversimplify release laws, and ignore lawful non-lethal alternatives.
Their language (“eliminate”, “incinerate”) reflects an outdated pest-control mindset rather than evidence-based wildlife management.

Sources

Legislation

• Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (s.14 & Schedule 9)
  
  

• Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019
  
  

• Animal Welfare Act 2006
  
  

Authorities

• Natural England correspondence confirming in situ release is lawful
  
  

• DEFRA guidance on invasive species enforcement
  
  

• RSPCA guidance on accidental entrapment
  
  

Pest UK website

• Pest UK: “Grey Squirrel Control” (public webpage)