Number of Red squirrels rises in Scotland, survey finds 

• Red squirrels are returning to the Aberdeen region.
• The only red squirrel population in the Highlands is secure and free of greys.
• Ms. Still said the red squirrel population was “thriving” throughout the country.

According to a census of red squirrels in Scotland, efforts to boost their population have been successful.

They were observed to be returning to the Aberdeen region and that there were less grey squirrels overall, according to the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey.

The reds moved further north over many years, raising fears that they would be exterminated.

As the red squirrel population increases, people are urged to keep filing sighting reports and giving the squirrels food.

The assessment found that thanks to staff efforts to safeguard the geological feature known as the Highland Boundary Fault Line, which runs from Argyll to Aberdeenshire, the only red squirrel population in the Highlands is secure and free of greys.

More than three times as many sightings of red and grey squirrels were recorded during the fourth annual survey week in October by 659 participants than during a usual week.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust-led project Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, which has been fighting to rescue the species for the past 14 years, uses the data to inform its conservation efforts.

Nicole Still, the program manager, praised the public for reporting “important” sightings of both species.

“We strongly encourage people to continue to report sightings with us,” she said.

“Just this small act of citizen participation can make a big difference to our efforts.”

Ms. Still said the red squirrel population was “thriving” throughout the country.

“[It] is a really promising sign and a good demonstration that the really active control efforts and conservation efforts of our projects and also our partners and statutory agencies have been really successful over the years,” she said.

She said: “We are encouraging gardeners who live in red areas or areas adjacent to red areas to start to feed the reds as their numbers grow [and] to start to grow the food that will benefit and supplement the existing food sources for our red squirrels.”

Urbanization, grey squirrels’ superiority in terms of size and food availability, and the transmission of squirrel pox by greys are the main challenges affecting red squirrels.

Although there is still a mix of the two species in the southern part of Scotland, volunteers are striving to reduce the population of grey squirrels.

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