Concerns are mounting in the Scottish Borders as reports of sick red squirrels prompt an urgent investigation into a potential outbreak of squirrelpox. Tests are currently being conducted on a recovered dead squirrel to ascertain if the highly contagious and often fatal disease is responsible for the recent sightings of unwell animals.
So far, six reports of sick red squirrels have emerged from the Venlaw area just outside Peebles, alongside a further report from the nearby Drumzelier region. The recovered deceased squirrel is undergoing testing at a facility in Edinburgh to determine if squirrelpox is the cause of death. This disease, while often harmless to its carriers, the grey squirrel, is typically lethal to native red squirrels.
Allan Johnstone of the Tweeddale Red Squirrel Network described squirrelpox as a "terrible disease," drawing parallels to the devastating effects of myxomatosis on rabbits. He highlighted that the invasive grey squirrels, introduced to the UK in the late 1800s, are the primary carriers of the virus and pose the most significant threat to the survival of red squirrel populations across the country.
Conservation efforts are ongoing in the Tweeddale area, where groups are actively working to reduce grey squirrel numbers. Johnstone noted that these initiatives have seen considerable success in areas such as Innerleithen, Traquair, and Cardrona, where red squirrels are now more frequently observed than greys. However, the constant migration of grey squirrels from the central belt and northern England presents an ongoing challenge for the 16 individual groups operating across southern Scotland, from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to Stranraer.
Beyond the suspected cluster around Peebles, sick-looking red squirrels have also been sighted near Selkirk. Bill Ferguson from the Central Borders Red Squirrel Network expressed concern over the lack of grey squirrel control around major urban centres like Edinburgh and Glasgow, which he believes contributes to the southward migration of invasive greys, further threatening the already vulnerable red squirrel populations in southern Scotland.
In response to the potential threat, members of the public are being urged to assist by removing bird feeders or any other garden installations where red and grey squirrels might gather. Ferguson explained that even without direct interaction, the virus can be transmitted if a red squirrel uses a feeder shortly after an infected grey squirrel, highlighting the ease with which the disease can spread within a population.