Wales’ Red Squirrels

What has red hair, likes hugging trees and loves chomping on nuts. No, it’s not one of the Oakeley regulars…. this week on the blog we’re celebrating the beautiful red squirrel because this week is National Red Squirrel Week (28th September to 6th October).

The red squirrel is one of the most iconic species of British wildlife, but one that’s sadly become an endangered species over the last century. The striking deep mahogany coat of the red squirrel is unmistakeable but they aren’t really a common sight across the country any more. Although “reds” were once the only type of squirrel in the UK, the population has sadly been in decline ever since the ubiquitous grey squirrel was introduced from Northern America in the late nineteenth century by Victorians who considered the grey squirrel as an “exotic” species.

Image by Toivo Toivanen & Tiina Toppila on Wiki Commons

But the American grey squirrels turned out to be larger, more robust, more tolerant to disease and able to scoff more of the food than their handsome red cousins. It wasn’t long before the beautiful red squirrels began to die out as the grey squirrels took over.

But, thanks to the tireless work of scientists and volunteers since the 1990’s, the red squirrel has been saved from near extinction. Although there is still a lot of work to be done before this lovely animal can be considered out of danger, there are now areas across the country where the “reds” thrive.

One such area close to the Oakeley Arms is on Anglesey, where a thriving red squirrel project has been on-going since 1997, when the population of reds was just 40 adults. Today, the population is over 400, and they continue to thrive, largely thanks to the management of the grey squirrel population. And a few years ago, the beautiful red squirrel crossed the Menai Straits and a few have been spotted in woodlands close to Bangor. Anglesey has the largest population of red squirrels in Wales; in fact most of the rest of the country is still heavily colonised by their grey cousins.

So, to celebrate these beautiful creatures, why not head over to Anglesey and see how many stunning red squirrels you can spot? They can be found in many woodland areas on the island, but the best areas to see them are the forests of Newborough and Pentraeth, Penrhos Coastal Park, Plas Newydd and woodlands around the Menai Straits.

You can find out more information about the work of the Anglesey Red Squirrel project by visiting their website – click here. And if you spot one in a new area, then the team would love to hear from you. Happy squirrel spotting!

Image by Pawel Ryszawa on Wiki Commons