Britain Launches Major Offensive On Grey Squirrels

Britain Launches Major Offensive On Grey Squirrels

They may be cute and cuddly but that won't be enough to save grey squirrels in northern Scotland after the launch on Tuesday of Britain's largest ever culling campaign of a mammal.

Naturalists and landowners are joining forces to rid northern Scotland of the squirrels, arguing they carry a deadly pox virus and threaten the smaller native red squirrel.

Scotland is one of the few safe havens left for the red squirrel whose numbers have been in slow decline throughout Britain since the arrival of its stronger, disease-carrying cousin from North America in the 1870s.

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