Grey Squirrel
Grey Squirrel
The grey squirrel is native to the USA and is a very adaptable species. In Britain the grey squirrel has few nature predators. This has lead to its rapid population growth and has caused the species to be classed as a pest. It can cause damage to roof spaces when nesting and to lawns when burying food such as nuts.
The grey squirrel is thought to be main reason in the decline of the red squirrel. This is thought to be because of the grey squirrel’s greater fitness hence a competitive advantage over the red squirrel.
In the UK if a grey squirrel is trapped under the wildlife and countryside act 1981 it is illegal to release it or allow it to escape into the wild. Instead they should be humanely destroyed.
Treatments include:
Proofing (e.g. squirrel accessing loft via roof)
Culling (Shooting)
Live trapping
These are the only treatment methods we use. There are other treatments such spring trapping and warfarin poising but we feel our methods are the most humane and least likely to affect a non-target species.