'This is the last chance' as battle lines are drawn in war against grey squirrels

A WAR on grey squirrels in Scotland will begin next week on an unprecedented scale, with a new plan to exterminate thousands of the animals.

A battleline has been drawn across Scotland beyond which all grey squirrels are to be wiped out.

The new project, to be launched on Tuesday, will aim to cull the thousands that live in the Aberdeen area, and other parts of the north of Scotland.

Conservation groups are describing it as the last big push to save the native red squirrel in Scotland.

Grey squirrels, introduced from North America, compete with the reds and carry a pox that is harmless to greys but is lethal to the smaller native animals.

Although greys are now common in Scotland, in the north reds are still prevalent and efforts will be focused on protecting these animals.

With the help of landowners, thousands of grey squirrels, mainly around Aberdeen, will be trapped, and then either shot with air rifles or enticed into hessian sacks and hit over the head.

And a team of squirrel control officers will guard the battleline, concentrating on areas where greys are likely to infiltrate from the south.

Stuart Brooks, director of conservation at the Scottish Wildlife Trust, told The Scotsman it was a hugely ambitious plan.

"This is the last chance," he said. "We have a moral obligation to try. It's going to be extremely difficult, but I think we owe it to future generations to try. We shouldn't just give up now.

"It's like a battle and we are quite happy for that analogy to be made.

"It's a very strategic approach to the management of the problem."

The £1.3 million project, called Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels, will be carried out over three years. The initiative already has £700,000 funding, but needs to raise a further £600,000 from the public.

Mr Brooks said he realised that not everyone will like the idea of animals being killed.

"We think the vast majority of people are quite supportive of what we are trying to do, although there is a vocal minority who oppose this and we are fully expecting that," he said.

The project is being run by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Scottish Rural Property and Business Association and the Forestry Commission Scotland.

Michael Russell, the environment minister, has thrown his support behind the move.

"The red squirrel is one of our most beautiful and valuable native species and Scotland is one of the few sanctuaries it has left," he said.

He added: "We have only a short time to save the red squirrel from the brink of extinction."

However, Ross Minett, campaigns director for Advocates for Animals, said: "It is totally wrong to attempt to save red squirrels by slaughtering thousands of grey squirrels.

"What we want is a real and achievable long-term solution to saving red squirrels, through effective habitat management and development of a squirrel-pox vaccine."

Big, bold and hungry: the invaders

THERE has been a catastrophic decline in red squirrels in Scotland since greys were introduced from North America in the late 19th century.

There are three million grey squirrels in the UK, but just 140,000 reds.

Scotland is home to 75 per cent of the remaining red squirrels, making it the largest stronghold in the UK for the beleaguered creature.

Whereas the red squirrel has lived in the UK for 10,000 years, greys are later arrivals. A pair was released in Cheshire in 1876 and more followed, including a pair at Loch Long in 1892.

Greys are up to double the weight of the reds, and compete for food and space.

They also carry a disease known as squirrel pox, which is lethal to their smaller cousins.

Squirrel pox has no effect on grey squirrels but kills reds within two weeks.

Greys infected with squirrel pox were first spotted in Scotland in the Borders in 2005 and have since spread further into the country, but there has not yet been an outbreak in the Central Belt or the north of the country.