Prince Charles backs ‘grey squirrel armageddon’
British country landowners and businesses backed by Prince Charles are demanding the right to turn their guns on “out of control” grey squirrels and deer in an effort to protect the trees and dependent species in threatened woodland habitats.
Grey squirrels, which were imported into the UK from the United States in the 19th century, have already reduced the native red squirrel population to a few protected areas of the Lake District and Scotland.
In February, Scottish conservationists established a “death line” beyond which all grey squirrels could be shot or caught or in traps. But now Prince Charles and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) are calling for more aggressive measures to curb squirrel numbers throughout England, Scotland and Wales.
In a letter to the CLA, Prince Charles wrote: “To be able to save the red squirrels, it is absolutely crucial to eliminate the greys which are an alien species to the UK and threaten the very existence of the reds. The greys are doing immense and increasing damage to hardwoods all over the country and threaten to compromise all our efforts to restore native woodlands.”
Quoted in the Guardian, CLA president Henry Aubrey-Fletcher admitted it would be unrealistic to “have an armageddon with guys out there blowing them out of the trees,” but said numbers had to be reduced to prevent “out-of-control deer and grey squirrel populations” from wreaking havoc.
The CLA argues that both squirrels and deer damage broadleaved woods by damaging the bark of trees. This makes it hard to grow good quality timber but also threatens the native ecology and species such as ground-nesting birds and dormice.
Of around one million deer in England and Wales around 185,000 are culled each year while traffic accidents account for another 50,000. The CLA believes around a third of the animals should be culled to keep the population in check.
The RSPCA has criticised plans to cull grey squirrels in massive numbers, arguing that the process would “be very difficult and cause suffering.”