Should we be blasting Grey Squirrels out of trees in the name of helping out the Red Squirrel?

Question

These grey rats are interlopers that have displaced our own much prettier version so shall we go on a mass cull?

Answer 1

They did have a cull in Dumfries and Galloway a while back because they were worried that disease-carrying greys from England were going to infect the reds (this area has the largest population of reds in the UK apparently).

It's not illegal to kill greys actually, but you have to do it humanely.  So if you're going to shoot them, aim for the head!!! lol

Answer 2

Or, should we kill all the remaining red squirrels? Then there is no reason to moan about the grey ones any more and we can enjoy their cute antics instead.

Answer 3

You can eat em as well so it would help with the rising cost of food

Answer 4

Selling someone a red squirrel is now a criminal act, thanks to Labour. Pssst, wanna buy one?

Answer 5

Yes, we should cull the immigrants who have arrived here without our direct invitation, to help out the indigenous residents who can't find food because of the unwelcome visitors...

It was squirrels you were talking about, wasn't it....

Answer 6

you want to try save the red squirrel by puttin them on islands- already done!

this sort of technique has been done before in tryin to save other species and yes you have to sacrifice the more to save the less.

durrell has done this.

Answer 7

No I don't think that is a good option. I do think however that we should be trying to breed reds in captivity therefore increasing their numbers, then they could be reintroduced in many places. Or maybe try to breed reds and greys together?

greys are interlopers it's true, but they are still lovely and I will continue to feed them. I love the red ones equally but they are few and far between so we need to help them, not just destroy the greys.

Answer 8

no, it is the law of natural survival and we should not intervene.

Cats are classified as vermin but we are not allowed to cull them especially when they invade our gardens and leave a "deposit" so why any other species

Answer 9

Where do you live?   Here its just the opposite.    They are killing off spruce trees since they chew the cones off before the cones ripen and have a chance to grow into new spruce trees.

Answer 10

While this Yank is sympathetic to your plight, It won't work. You got to the present situation because some fool iimported just a small number of grey squirrels. Unless you could wipe out every last grey squirrel in the UK, they would just breed faster and get right back to the current situation. Sorry 'bout that, Chief.

Answer 11

For sure! Kill the ugly so the pretty can`t live.

Answer 12

Yeah they commited ethnic cleansing its time for some payback.... Lets get those smug little mites