New hope for red squirrels
17 10 08 - 05:46 Eight have been found to have naturally developed immunity to the squirrelpox virus, which threatens to kill off the species in Britain by the middle of the century. The discovery was described as “the first sign of hope” for the species since it began a steep decline at the end of the 19th century.The red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris, is native to Britain but has been driven inexorably from its home territories by the grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis, which is thought to have been introduced from North America in 1876.
Grey squirrels carry the squirrelpox virus but are immune to it, so when they come into contact with their cousins the red squirrels are killed by the disease. Research shows that the geographical spread of the virus and the grey squirrel are virtually identical.
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This is good news. Long live red squirrels!
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