Gove plans squirrel cull

[Malcolm Ogilvie]

Fantastic news for Red Squirrels

Michael Gove, UK Environment Secretary, has stated recently that he favours large-scale
culls of grey squirrels to prevent their serious damage to young trees. With plans to
create a "northern forest" in a 120-mile corridor between Liverpool and Hull, there is an
urgent need to get rid of the grey squirrels.

Culls have certainly helped both to get rid of grey squirrels and to bring back reds. On
the National Trust's Wallington Estate in Northumberland, a six-year programme to kill
several hundred grey squirrels has turned the local population from 99% grey to 100% red.

Of course, it was about grey squirrel culling in Northumberland that, a few years ago,
Angus was stating that it wouldn't succeed, even claiming that some people were
deliberately trying to thwart the efforts to cull the greys. Nice to see him proved wrong
- yet again:-)

Malcolm