News 
Border Patrols Hope To Repel Grey Squirrel Invaders
2 September 2009
The Crown Estate recently joined 25 other landowners in a partnership project funded through the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) to trap grey squirrels throughout south west Scotland and the Borders region.
Grey squirrels spreading north from England carry the squirrelpox virus, harmless to the greys but deadly to Scotland’s native red squirrel. Once infected, reds can die within two weeks, and the virus can spread quickly through a population with devastating effect.
The Crown Estate’s 7000 hectare Applegirth Estate is situated in the heart of the Annan valley between Lockerbie and Beattock. Its associated woodlands are strategically placed to help the control effort involving input from both large and small rural holdings.
The Crown Estate’s Forestry Manager, Mike Libera said: “This has been a very worthwhile project, as we have not only been able to trap the grey squirrels that were present on the estate, but by spreading the humane cage traps widely around the woodlands we have also been able to build up a picture of the distribution and health of the native red squirrels in the area due to incidental captures.
“Any captured red squirrels were visually checked while in the cage for signs of disease before being released back into the woodland, where they would often sit up in the branches of trees chattering away and chastising the trapper!
“Grey squirrels like to travel along river corridors where there is a good and variable food supply, and the Annan Valley is a perfect place to intercept them. This area has been identified in the Red Squirrel Action Plan as an important control zone, and The Crown Estate is happy to support the project,” he added.
Greys are now trapped and killed across southern Scotland and northern England , and it is important to maintain this strategy, especially as there are fears for the future of red squirrels after a number of cases of squirrelpox were discovered in the region.
Stephanie Johnstone, Project Officer for Red Squirrels in South Scotland co-ordinated the partnership project in the Annan Valley. She said: “Following outbreaks of squirrelpox at Lockerbie and Drumlanrig, it was important to include local landowners in a defence strategy against the greys.
“The landowners of the Annan Valley, along with many others throughout south Scotland, have stepped up to the challenge and are working together to protect our red squirrels from the grey squirrel incursion and the deadly squirrelpox virus.”
ends
Notes to Editors
Applegirth Estate
- The estate comprises 7,012 hectares (17,327 acres) with 40 agricultural, 39 residential, 9 commercial and 17 sporting tenancies. There is one site of Special Scientific interest on the Applegirth estate, and two farms are within an Environmentally Sensitive Area
The Crown Estate
- The Crown Estate is valued at over £6 billion, including substantial blocks of urban property, over 119,000 hectares (294,000 acres) of agricultural land in England, Scotland and Wales, and around half the foreshore, together with the seabed out to the 12 mile territorial limit
- The Crown Estate has two main objectives: to benefit the taxpayer by paying the revenue surplus earned from assets directly to the Treasury (in 2008/09 this amounted to £226.5 million); and to enhance the value of the estate and the income it generates.
- As owners, managers and guardians of one of the world’s most important and diverse urban, rural and marine property portfolios, our work is underpinned by the three core values of commercialism, integrity and stewardship
The Crown Estate in Scotland:
- Generated a revenue surplus of £15.5 million in 2008/9, paid directly to the Treasury for the benefit of all UK taxpayers
- Reported a capital value of £227.5 million in 2008/9
- Directly manages over almost 5,000 hectares of forestry in Scotland
- Supports coastal communities through its Marine Stewardship Fund
- Receives less than 1% of its income from fish and shellfish farming
- Owns and manages around half of the foreshore and almost all of the seabed out to the 12 nautical mile territorial limit
- Charges less than 10p a day for many private boat moorings
