Capturing red squirrels () on camera: A cost-effective approach for monitoring relative abundance and habitat preference.

Effective methods for monitoring animal populations are crucial for species conservation and habitat management. Motion-activated cameras provide an affordable method for passively surveying animal presence across the landscape but have mainly been used for studying large-bodied mammals. This paper explores the relative abundance and habitat preferences of red squirrels () in coniferous forests using cameras and live trapping.

Opportunistic viral surveillance confirms the ongoing disease threat grey squirrels pose to sympatric red squirrel populations in the UK.

Background: Red Squirrels United was a UK landscape-scale grey squirrel management programme undertaken between 2016 and 2020.

Methods: A total of 11034 grey squirrels were removed by culling, with 1506 necropsied and 1405 suitable for adenovirus (AdV) or squirrelpox virus (SQPV) quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis. Spleen, lip or hair were extracted, and DNA was isolated, with samples tested in duplicate by qPCR.

An Opportunistic Assessment of the Impact of Squirrelpox Disease Outbreaks upon a Red Squirrel Population Sympatric with Grey Squirrels in Wales.

Native red squirrels () persisted in the coastal mainland woodlands of northern Gwynedd whilst sympatric with an invasive grey squirrel () population suppressed by culling. Squirrelpox disease in the red squirrel population was recorded in 2017 and 2020/21. An autumn 2020 outbreak was associated with only 17.

Do Differing Levels of Boldness Influence the Success of Translocation? A Pilot Study on Red Squirrels ().

Conservation translocations, including reintroductions, are practices that are vital to restoring biodiversity and ecosystem function within conservation schemes globally. Sadly, population translocations have had a poor success rate historically. At a time where biodiversity is constantly decreasing, improving translocation success is vital for future conservation schemes.

British Red Squirrels Remain the Only Known Wild Rodent Host for Leprosy Bacilli.

Eurasian red squirrels in the British Isles are the most recently discovered animal reservoir for the leprosy bacteria and . Initial data suggest that prevalence of leprosy infection is variable and often low in different squirrel populations. Nothing is known about the presence of leprosy bacilli in other wild squirrel species despite two others (Siberian chipmunk [], and Thirteen-lined ground squirrel []) having been reported to be susceptible to experimental infection with .

The large-scale removal of mammalian invasive alien species in Northern Europe.

Numerous examples exist of successful mammalian invasive alien species (IAS) eradications from small islands (<10 km ), but few from more extensive areas. We review 15 large-scale removals (mean area 2627 km ) from Northern Europe since 1900, including edible dormouse, muskrat, coypu, Himalayan porcupine, Pallas' and grey squirrels and American mink, each primarily based on daily checking of static traps. Objectives included true eradication or complete removal to a buffer zone, as distinct from other programmes that involved local control to limit damage or spread.