The British island where red squirrels are thriving

With growing concerns that red squirrels could soon become extinct in England, one Channel Island is a corner of the British Isles where they maintain a stronghold.

Jersey is home to a thriving red squirrel population, thanks to the complete absence of grey squirrels, which carry a virus deadly to their red cousins.

Red squirrels are endangered in the UK, with about 120,000 to 160,000 left in the wild and various projects are aiming to boost those numbers.

There have some strongholds in England, particularly islands, and 75% of the British population is in Scotland.

However, despite not being native to Jersey, Henry Glynn, an ecologist with the National Trust of Jersey, said they "really are iconic for Jersey".

He said: "When you speak to people who have come over to visit the island from the UK, a lot of them will say that one of the things they want to do whilst here is to see a red squirrel, because they're so rare and so difficult to see in large parts of the UK.

"That is actually really special for them."

Red squirrels are not native to Jersey, having been introduced in 1885.

However, Glynn described them as "naturalised", having become "assimilated into the natural environment" over many years.

The animals have previously featured in Visit Jersey tourism campaigns, including one fronted by conservationist Ben Fogle.

The National Trust of Jersey said the island was an "important refuge" for the red squirrel, where they were "fairly widespread".

It said the inland valleys and woodlands were the best places to spot them.

The species is legally protected, which means it would be a criminal offence to harm them.

Nina Powell, senior animal carer at the JSPCA [Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals], said Jersey has a "good population" of squirrels and that "you can see them almost anywhere".

While the primary reason for their success is the lack of grey squirrels, Powell said they also thrived "because people look out for them".

She said: "A lot of people do support them, put out feeders and stuff like that.

"Their habitats are decreasing everywhere... but we do have quite a lot of nature reserves.

"In some places, we've got rope bridges which really help them cross the roads, and our speed limits are quite low, so that helps them as well".

She said the JSPCA had handled 50 red squirrels so far this year, including hand-raising eight babies, called kits (kittens).

She said: "We want to keep all animals as wild as possible, so we try and be as hands-off as possible.

"Some of them don't like us... some of them are quite sweet. They really do vary in personality."

Glynn agreed that their success had come in part because of the efforts of islanders.

He said: "They're really beloved amongst the local community as well. A lot of people put out squirrel feeders or love to see them in the garden.

"We get lots of reports from people who just want to tell us they've seen them because they're so happy to have them around."

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