The new report details the findings of research conducted in the west of Ireland on the use of translocation for red squirrel conservation.  Translocation is the establishment of a population of wild animals in an area where they have become locally extinct or were not found historically.  The pilot translocations of red squirrels to two woodlands, one in Mayo and the other in Connemara, has proved a great success with evidence that the squirrels settled into their new surroundings and started breeding in a matter of months.  The squirrels were followed over three years using radio-tracking methods and hair tube surveys allowing researchers to keep track of the health of the introduced animals and also to monitor the two populations as they expanded and spread within their new woodlands. 

The report, which was written by Catherine Waters and Dr Colin Lawton, of NUI Galway, includes a number of specific recommendations about the potential for future translocations. “Translocations consistently fail if grey squirrels are present,” it says. “Red squirrel translocation cannot be used in areas within the grey squirrel range, even where a grey squirrel eradication programme has been carried out. There is real potential, however, for remote woodlands in counties Donegal, Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare and Kerry to host new red squirrel populations.”

Welcoming the findings of the study, Dr Ferdia Marnell of NPWS’s Scientific Unit said “While we must continue the battle against the grey squirrel in the east of the country, we can now also consider bolstering the red squirrel populations in the west and south-west.”