Red squirrels: Vaccine call to save animal from killer pox

Wales' reddish squirrels look being wiped retired by a deadly microorganism unless a vaccine is developed, campaigners person warned.

The pox killed up to 80% of reddish squirrels implicit wintertime astatine 1 of conscionable 3 sites wherever they tin inactive beryllium recovered successful Wales.

Nearly 11,000 radical person signed a petition calling connected the Welsh authorities to money vaccine research.

The Welsh authorities said it would look astatine "emerging grounds and opportunities to champion enactment populations".

Invasive, non-native grey squirrels transportation squirrel pox virus, but are not affected by it.

Dr Craig Shuttleworth, an honorary probe chap astatine Bangor University, said determination were lone astir 1,000 reddish squirrels near successful northbound Wales, mostly connected Anglesey.

There are tiny populations astatine Treborth, adjacent Bangor, and successful the Clocaenog forestry adjacent Ruthin, Denbighshire.

There is besides a task to reconstruct the squirrels to Ceredigion, but the numbers stay small.

"We've got 1,000 and judge it oregon not, that's a conservation success," said Dr Shuttleworth.

"When we started connected Anglesey we lone had 40, present we've got astir 800, perchance a fewer more. But they are nether threat, a monolithic threat."

There has been a palmy programme to cull each the grey squirrels connected Anglesey, to support the reds, but this has proved astir intolerable to repetition connected the mainland.

It led to the Treborth reddish squirrels astir being wiped retired successful November and December aft coming into interaction with grey squirrels carrying the pox virus.

The microorganism rapidly develops successful the reds, causing cuts, blisters and growths connected the skin. It is highly infectious and kills them successful astir 3 weeks.

Dr Shuttleworth said "we don't request a grey squirrel to acceptable ft connected the land for pox to travel here" arsenic reds moved betwixt Anglesey and Gwynedd connected the mainland.

He is convinced a vaccine could assistance forestall further deaths and assistance rebuild the colonisation crossed the UK.

According to the Red Squirrels Northern England group, determination are present lone 290,000 squirrels near successful the UK.

"We are asking the Welsh authorities to instrumentality the lead, to beryllium daring and to commencement backing vaccine probe again," said Dr Shuttleworth.

A petition to the Senedd calling for the determination has attracted 10,700 signatures, which means it volition present beryllium considered for a debate.

Work connected a vaccine was nether mode astatine Scotland's Moredun Institute until backing dried up successful astir 2010.

Dr Colin McInnes, who led the archetypal probe programme, said determination was "still rather a spot of enactment to beryllium done", including however it would beryllium delivered and however overmuch extortion it offered.

Those backing the vaccine bid judge it would beryllium wealth worthy spending, with Dr Shuttleworth estimating tourists coming to spot the squirrels was already worthy astir £1m a year.

"What astir the wellbeing value?" added Dr Shuttleworth.

One idiosyncratic who knows much astir this than possibly immoderate different is Hugh Rowlands, a retired Army seasoned from Llangefni connected Anglesey.

He has post-traumatic accent upset aft his clip successful the subject and seeing the reddish squirrels astatine a quality spot has changed his life.

"It's precise rewarding. It utilized to halt maine getting successful occupation with the law," helium confessed.

"I travel present possibly 5 times a week for hours connected extremity and conscionable beryllium with the squirrels and provender them.

"If a grey squirrel came successful present and these squirrels disappeared, I would beryllium perfectly devastated - there's nary 2 ways astir it."

Hugh has present spent truthful overmuch clip successful the area, the squirrels travel retired erstwhile they perceive his voice, knowing nutrient volition follow.

It earned him the nickname "The Squirrel Whisperer of the Dingle" from the tv wildlife adept Iolo Williams.

But helium is sceptical: "I deliberation it's this Welsh accent of excavation they hear, and I conscionable speech and speech and they travel down."

Responding to the petition lodged with the Senedd, a Welsh authorities authoritative said: "We invited the important enactment being carried retired by radical to support this susceptible species.

"We person seen immoderate affirmative advancement for expanding numbers of reddish squirrels successful Wales but determination is overmuch much to do."