The UK Government has officially sanctioned the killing of Americans.
I could have said this action is a sign of the change of government since the “Blair Bush Alliance” that brought our governments closer in policy making in different parts of the world. However the legislation has been in force now for over 70 years.
For fourteen years the UK government were even giving out shotgun cartridges free to around 7,000 registered shooting clubs formed specifically to kill these American invaders of our country. The cash bounty paid for the killing is no longer paid but the legislation encouraging the killing of these Americans is still live on our court records.
Relax a little we are not shooting American tourists with proper passports coming in through formal immigration channels.
What we are talking about is the growing population of Grey Squirrels which is leading to the eradication of the native red squirrels. The latter are now reduced to small pockets of the UK countryside in particular the Scottish highlands. The Grey Squirrels were originally brought to the UK from the USA to live in Zoos at the beginning of the 19th Century but some escaped and thrived slowly over the years spreading across the country.
Whilst I would delight at seeing both Red and Grey Squirrels roaming around our forests and parklands the reality is that there are very few places where the two varieties can live side by side.
As the Grey Squirrel is moving north it is actually leading to the death of our native Red Squirrel to the point where official statistics suggest they are outnumbering the red by 66 to 1. There are two main reasons for this happening.
- The nature of the Grey Squirrel is to be more aggressive than it’s UK red cousin. (Maybe they were brought up watching too many John Wayne films?) Or maybe it is the fact they are “Red” and American politicians have made them think that all “reds” are communist and therefore bad.
- The Grey also carry a squirrel pox virus which is thought to be spread through saliva or scent-marking secretions at feeding or scent-marking sites. It could also be from fleas that pass from one animal to another. The Grey Squirrel is now known to be immune from the virus but any Red Squirrel picking up the virus is likely to die within two weeks. Squirrels with squirrelpox develop wet, discharging lesions or scabs around the eyes, ears, mouth, feet and genitalia before becoming increasingly lethargic as the disease progresses, chiefly due to their inability to feed properly.
Various moves have been tried to limit the spread the Grey squirrel but the population is growing fast with a corresponding fall in the numbers of the Red Squirrel. It has been illegal to release any grey squirrel back in the wild since 1933 so even those caught in “humane” traps can only be killed. Discussions have also taken place about using contraception pills for the grey squirrels. But how can you ensure that these animals will remember to take them on a daily basis and how do you ensure only grey squirrels take them and not red ones?
One of the few places to still see numbers of Red squirrels living wild is in the Scottish Highlands even the Scottish Central belt has succumbed and there are now very few red squirrels living there. Almost all of England and Wales has already been taken over by the American Grey Squirrel except for some small patches including islands off the mainland.
For the record I am against the killing of any wild animal but I can fully understand why we need to take to take measures against the eradication of the lovely red squirrel.
We have the same problem, with the gray squirrels even edging out the chipmunks. Glad you aren’t shooting American tourists. I might want to visit Scotland someday.
I thought my headline would grab some attention. We actually welcome American Tourists so you are relatively safe
Although a couple of people are not so keen on this Donald Trump guy (but he has Scottish Heritage so we should at least listen to him). His plan to build a new golf course outside Aberdeen has had a very mixed reception. A number of people are objecting to it because it is on conservation land or it is too close to where they live (nimbys who would object to anything and everyhing). Personally if he wants to invite me for game of golf I will accept (but only if he provides the clubs as a non-player I dont have any myself)
Ron
Personally I think some of them studied his Trump University course on investing in real estate and discovered they could make some extra money by buying a house right slap bang in the middle of a green and waiting for top price to be offerred.
Stop spreading lies about the precious, innocent, adorable gray squirrels, barbarians!
While, tragically, a couple of dozen of red squirrels did die from the squirrel pox virus, this infectious disease is no threat to survival of the red squirrels as subspecies. Those, who are actually responsible for the decline of the red squirrels in Great Britain, are the PEOPLE of that country. It is they, who have always been killing off the red squirrels as pests. The other cause of that decline has been deforestation, pollution and diseases. The red and the gray squirrel subspecies have always lived in harmony.
The hostility of the British people against the wonderful gray squirrels stems from their perception of the gray squirrels as the American invasion.
The contemptible British barbarians!