Introduction
I found an article in The Telegraph entitled, “Red squirrels are fighting back against the greys, experts claim.”
The article implies Pine Martens are saving the red squirrel as much as a grey squirrel trapping program is. The trapping program was introduced to reduce the grey population and give the reds a chance of survival.
The red squirrel shown above and in the featured image was seen in Doxford, Northumberland. You can read more and see a video in another of my posts here.
Pine Martens To The Rescue
Apparently predatory martens (see image above) are helping to save the red squirrel. It turns out that they are inclined to eat grey squirrels which they find nice and plump. The pine marten can catch the grey because they move slowly. This has been found in a Northern Ireland study where the pine marten isn’t so rare as first thought.
Leave a Reply