CORNWALL RED SQUIRREL REINTRODUCTION

Partially shot on assignment with The Cornwall Red Squirrel Project

A photostory on the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project, and the work being done towards ensure that the first red squirrel reintroduction in England is a success.

Red squirrels were once common across the UK with an estimated peak population in excess of 3.5 million individuals. Unfortunately, the grey squirrel was introduced to the UK from America as an ornamental species in 1876. The spread of the grey squirrel was rapid, and in 36 years the species had reached Cornwall.

The grey squirrel’s ability to spread so quickly across the UK resulted in a cataclysmic decline of native red squirrel numbers as the two species are fundamentally unable to coexist. Today the UK red squirrel population sits at approximately 120,000, only around 15,000 of these being in England. The last recorded sighting of a red squirrel in Cornwall was in 1984. Without the work being done by red squirrel conservation groups and potential reintroduction projects it is estimated that the red squirrel would be extinct on the UK mainland within 20 years.

Further work can be seen on the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project website. The project website features web design, photographs and video produced exclusively by Joseph Gray.