The number of red squirrels killed by a deadly pox virus in Cumbria has risen by two-thirds this year.
The disease has claimed the lives of 30 red squirrels in the county in 2010 so far, compared with 18 in the whole of last year, according to figures from Defra’s Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA).And a leading squirrel expert says there are two other viruses claiming the lives of the creatures in the county.
The staphylococcal infection and the adenovirus are also killing off the animals, and Dr Craig Shuttleworth, project leader of Friends of the Anglesey Red Squirrels and a leading squirrel expert, wants people to be ultra-cautious when feeding the mammals.
The adenovirus only becomes visible towards the end of a red squirrel’s life when symptoms include diarrhoea, while the staphylococcal infection is picked up around bird tables, and also causes skin lesions.
But it is the squirrel pox virus which Dr Shuttleworth is most concerned about.
“At the moment squirrel pox virus is the nasty one that can cause lots of deaths very quickly,” he said. “That’s the most worrying one.
“The reason for more being found could be that more people are aware of the outbreak or that cases are being discovered more in areas where people actually are.”
The grey squirrel passes the disease on, and causes lesions to appear in red squirrels around the eyes. Grey squirrels carry but are not affected by the disease, and the only known way to deal with the problem at the moment is to remove grey squirrels from red areas.
“People shouldn’t think that they are all dying because they aren’t. We’re going to work with Defra to work out what is going on,” Dr Shuttleworth added.
“We need to encourage people to take an interest in the red squirrel and if they see a dead one, report it.
“We’re concerned about this virus but it goes with the territory because we’ve got reds and greys mixed in large areas of Cumbria. The main thing for me is to get people behind us and wherever possible, to get actively involved.
“There is some fantastic work going on there.”
News of the squirrel deaths comes after it was revealed last week how more than 400 red squirrels were found in one small area of north Cumbria in the first full survey of the creatures by the Forestry Commission.
It was carried out at four locations near Keswick as part of efforts to help conservation.
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