LEGAL STATUS OF THE GREY SQUIRREL

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 9 & Grey Squirrels( Prohibition of Importation & Keeping) Order 1937, issued under the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932:

• It is an offence to keep greys in captivity ( Licence required from Defra).
• It is an offence to release them back into the wild.
• It is an offence to allow them to escape.
• It is an offence to transport a grey (Licence required from Defra)

Transportation of an injured or abandoned grey to a place of treatment is allowed.Transportation of a trapped grey to a place of dispatch is accepted. However the public should be aware that vets are legally obliged to uphold the law and realise that greys cannot be released back into the wild and that euthenasia is an acceptable form of treatment.

It is perhaps not unreasonable to suggest that licences issued by Defra were intended for research institutes investigating the virus carried by the greys, not for public display and monetary benefit.

COMMENT

It does appear strange that agencies who we as the public expect to enforce these laws have allowed the Wildlife Sanctuary at Ulgham to blatantly break the law since they took in their first grey in Oct 2004. Is this a situation where they can pick and choose what laws are to be enforced?

The sanctuary was granted a licence in January 2007 without the knowledge or sanction of the public.

The sanctuary take in all animals therefore we have a situation where injured reds are taken in under the same roof as greys who may have the squirrel virus. This is really quite an absurd position to be in.

It is also true to add that other areas of the country are blatantly disregarding the laws mentioned above and people should be encouraged to bring the matter to the attention of the Police and the RSPCA. Top

 

SHOOTING AND TRAPPINGS OF GREYS

Recommendations to householders for trapping grey squirrels.

Morpeth Red Squirrels having trapped and disposed of 102 grey squirrels in 2009 and over300 0 being dispatched up to the end of July 2010 believe they have knowledge and experience to pass on to members of the public who wish to play their own part in eradicating this menace.

Just to remind the public they do not need a license to trap and shoot a grey on their own property.

There is conflicting advice on the subject of feeders, either squirrel or birds whether they should be removed or left if greys appear on the scene.

The argument for removing feeders is the danger reds face from coming into contact with greys possibly carrying the virus.

Our group and others who seem to have more experience in the matter follow the policy of leaving feeders up.The evidence is overwhelming in supporting this view.Nearly 100% of our greys have been trapped or shot , attracted by feeders.

The law regarding the monitoring of traps is somewhat vague.It is undoubtably " good practise" to monitor at least once a day but there are no specific details on how often traps should be checked.Only case law would apply where standards could be established.This could be quite complicated as areas where reds are still in residence the traps should be checked more frequently as opposed to those areas consisting only of greys.The frequency of monitoring traps therefore depends on the circumstances and the experience of the trapper involved including the degree of cooperation from householders. The possibility of reds in the area should not deter the public from trapping greys.

 

There are 2 types of traps, a horizontal trap which we place off the ground.It could be attached to a fence,placed on a picnic table or on top of a hut etc.Being off the ground it will not trap non targeted species such as rabbits,rats,hedgehogs,pigeons etc.Also it will make it less likely that mice will eat the bait.The trap is slightly modified by having a tray fixed to the entrance in which the bait is placed.This could be sun flower seeds,hazelnuts, maize or whatever bait is appropiate. Just inside the trap a small tray ( jam jar lid) is placed,baited.At the back of the trap another small tray,again baited.This tray must not interfere with the tripping plate. Another modification has been the introduction of a mesh flap at the entrance.Problems always arise with non targeted species being caught, the trapping of hen pheasants instigating this one.Some of the mesh is then cut to leave a 3" square hole.The greys still get in and so far nothing else.All traps have been converted to this modification.We have recently tried a new innovation with some success.We had a situation where mice were still able to get at the bait.The bait was hazelnuts.We tried putting the hazelnuts (crush a few )in a small glass jar with a screwed metal lid with holes drilled into it.. The mice could'nt eat the nuts but the grey could see them.Maize can also be usedThis method also works when you have occassions when small juveniles can get in,take the bait and get out without tripping the plate.

 

The other trap successfully used by MRS is the Elgeeco,click on www.elgeeco.com which is specifically designed to catch greys whereas the trap above is in effect a modified mink trap.This trap is mounted on a tree trunk,post or side of a fence.It acts as a bird feeder thereby attracting the grey.The trap can be supplied with a refuge cage( recommended).When caught the grey is manoeuvred into the cage which can then be detached from the main body of the trap.

With the horizontal trap it is essential for it to be operational as soon as possible after a grey is caught as there could still be another in the area.We have stripped another trap to act as a transfer trap which is linked to the "catch trap" and the grey encouraged to transfer.The catch trap is then operational within a few minutes,still with the scent of the previous occupant which we believe encourages new visitors.

Whilst the public are keen to help in trapping not all like the idea of the grey being shot in their garden,less still being opened up to take a blood sample for checking whether or not it's carrying the virus.We therefore have an arrangement with a couple of landowners to dispatch on their land.When transferred over the trap is covered( as should be when the grey is initially caught) This greatly helps in settling down the squirrel when previously becoming very agitated when the trap is approached by a human.When the grey is in what could be described as the execution trap it is manouevred in to corner using combs which then restricts its movement and enables a humane kill.We use either a Webley Typhoon .22 air pistol or a .22 air rifle up to the maximum power not requiring a licence. The pellet used is as recommended by Natural England, a Prometheus 2. This has a steel tip and a plastic skirt making it highly effective.Invariably most of the kills have only used 1 pellet. They are not cheap being something like £6 for about 80 but humane killing is essential.The target has to be the back of the head.On several occassions the 1st pellet has rendered the animal unconcious and a 2nd pellet needed to finish it off. These greys have tended to be very large males and we now use the air rifle as this takes just the 1 pellet to finish off.

Grey Squirrel Drey poking has long been recognised as a sport and an effective means of pest control.Risk assessments will vary from areas with only greys to those comprising of reds and greys.Any one considering such methods should ensure they are familiar with the legal aspects.

It has to be accepted that in an area where greys have intruded occupied by reds there is undoubtably a risk of trapping reds.It is also a risk using bait such as hazel nuts which will tempt both.The priority has to be the trapping of the grey.Considering that in the Greater Morpeth area the infection rate among the greys is over 90% any reds trapped might already be infected.

Cranial dispatch ( blow on the head ) is also a legal method.This involves placing the grey in a sack,locating the head and delivering a blow.This method is seen by many as barbaric and raises the memory of " clubbing bay seals" and is not recommended as it is vitally important to retain public confidence.

Drowning of grey squirrels is perfectly legal if the animal has been taken in the process of legal pest control which includes the use of a live trap.Under the Wild Mammals ( Protection ) Act 1996 the action has to be " reasonably swift and humane".This is in fact probably the most simplest method of all. A suitable water container such as a butt with a depth greater than the length of the trap is ideal.The trap should be submerged with a weight such as a brick placed on top.The trap can then be left for several minutes to ensure death is absolutely certain.

 

It should also be pointed out that the Police and the RSPCA would quite rightly take a dim view if it were known that someone shooting greys was having to take several shots to kill the animal.

The law relating to use of firearms must always be adhered to but individuals should not be put off just because other people find it distasteful.

Any greys trapped or shot may need to be disposed of by your Pest Control Officer or local vet, check with either. Depending on local circumstances blood samples may need to be taken for purposes of ascertaining if they have the virus.

If handling dead greys protective gloves should be worn to avoid infection.

Feeding Habits

It is a sad fact that the expression " greys in, reds out DEAD " is very appropriate.Contrary to some views there is no evidence that greys and reds can live side by side.If greys move into an area and are not carrying the virus they will simply eat the grey out of existence by consuming food well before the red is ready.

There is not much publicity given to other aspects of grey behaviour causing problems.It`s destruction of song bird nests has a major impact on those populations,each grey is believed to destroy two nests a year! The grey is also number five on the top ten list of garden pests according to the Royal Horticultural Society damaging and eating bulbs and fruits etc. It also causes damage to property by nesting in attics and lofts and has been known to eat the plastic covering from electric cables thereby putting lives at risk. They have also been known to attack people when competing for food being distributed by the public.All in all the grey should not be considered a " little cutie " Top