Red Squirrels Reintroduced to the West Coast of Scotland
Tuesday, May 21st, 2024
After years of effort and hard work, the rewilding charity Trees for Life has successfully reintroduced six red squirrels to the remote Drimnin Estate on Scotland’s west coast Morvern peninsula. This is a major step towards restoring the species to the entire northern coastline of the region, including the neighbouring Ardnamurchan area. The effort has been backed by the landowners, who have provided a safe and suitable habitat for the squirrels.
This new population of red squirrels at Drimnin adds to the existing group of reintroduced reds in Morvern, which has been steadily growing since Trees for Life released 21 squirrels at Lochaline two years ago. Sarah Woodfin, the Red Squirrel Project Manager for Trees for Life, says, “This new red squirrel population at Drimnin opens up a new chapter in this rewilding success story, which is offering hope for the long-term future of this much-loved and charismatic species.”
The charity is hoping that, with the improvement of tree cover in the area, the red squirrels will eventually be able to move along the entire coast to Ardnamurchan, securing a population that has managed to survive there despite the many challenges. The new arrivals have already been seen playing and feeding in the estate’s woodlands, much to the delight of Rhonda Newsham, the Drimnin Estate’s Visitor Manager. “We are tremendously excited to welcome these red squirrels, and feel honoured that Trees for Life and the volunteers from the squirrel donor sites have entrusted them to us,” she says.
The reintroduction of red squirrels is critical as their numbers have been dwindling in Scotland for years due to the loss of their forest homes, persecution, and competition from the introduced grey squirrel. Currently, there are only an estimated 120,000 red squirrels left in Scotland, and they remain missing from large areas of the Highlands and Islands – their last main stronghold in the UK that is safe from the threat of grey squirrels. Trees for Life’s reintroduction project aims to relocate red squirrels from areas with healthy populations to suitable woodlands, mainly in the Inverness, Loch Ness, and Moray coast areas.
The charity has been carrying out reintroductions since 2016, releasing a total of 235 red squirrels at 12 sites across the northwest Highlands. With the new populations breeding and expanding throughout available habitat, it is estimated that the current releases will eventually lead to a total population of about 5,300 squirrels. The reintroductions also help to naturally expand Scots pine forests as red squirrels plant new trees by forgetting where they have buried their winter stores of nuts and seeds.
Community involvement and citizen science have been crucial to the success of this project, with local people offering donor sites and reporting sightings, as well as carrying out supplementary feeding at the release sites. With Scotland being one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries and many species facing extinction, Trees for Life is urging people to sign the Scottish Rewilding Alliance’s Rewilding Nation Charter at www.rewild.scot/charter. The charter calls on the Scottish Government to declare Scotland a rewilding nation, committing to nature recovery across 30% of land and sea.
This successful reintroduction of red squirrels at Drimnin is an encouraging step towards restoring this beloved species to the Scottish Highlands and Islands. With the continued support of the community and the government, Trees for Life is hopeful that red squirrels will thrive once again in this beautiful region of Scotland.
Derick is an experienced reporter having held multiple senior roles for large publishers across Europe. Specialist subjects include small business and financial emerging markets.