Grey squirrels also strip the bark from hardwood trees (particularly maple and beech) which is something reds don't do.

I think I once watched a feature on a programme, not so long ago actually, where there was a man whose responsibility it was to keep in check the numbers of grey squirrels where their habitat bordered that of reds. His method was to put up these special boxes on tree trunks. As the greys entered them from the bottom to reach the food, a spring was released and came down on their neck, killing them instantly. I'm sure there was a way to ensure the reds didnt get caught but I cant think what it was. It was a very interesting programme actually because it looked at why the greys are pushing the reds out.

I think we`ll be lucky to have any wildlife left in a couple of hundred years, personally. So if the squirrels are thriving, it`s natural selection as far as I`m concerned.

Is there any evidence to suggest that Red squirrel numbers would increase if greys were culled? Is it just the greys that have led to their decline, or does loss of habitat have something to do with it?
How much difference would a cull make anyway. Apparently they are very difficult to shoot, as they are very good at hiding from guns, and there are so many of them.

Yes MASSES of it, the Greys are the sole reason for the decline and extinction in some parts of the Reds.

Greys carry "Squirrel pox" it KILLS Reds but most greys survive. The Greys being so wide spread have eliminated all the areas where the reds thrived mainly because of this, and also because of the fact they are larger, more aggressive and take over territories and feeding areas etc..

It is not difficult to shoot Squirrels, believe me. Its the fact they are in such incredible numbers that case the problem.

UK may not be 'their natural environment' because they were artificially introduced by man but if we were to restrict on that basis there are plenty of dogs (and other creatures) in the UK that are not 'in their natural environment' and were brought there by man. Plenty of plants and trees too.

Plenty of red squirrels in France if you want to see them. Plenty of people living in the UK in places where they never see any squirrels (grey or red) or much other wildlife come to that.

There is no proof that, if the grey squirrel were to be eradicated, the red one would proliferate and thrive.

There is an interesting article on the subject here:

http://www.elp.manchester.ac.uk/pub_...lecture-15.htm

Yes they are not a native animal but i dont agree with a cull as I dont think there is any way to remove them 100% so all you would be doing is lots of killing for no real reason.

Not sure what the answer is for the reds because as others have said its survial of the fittest and they are losing.

Thats completely untrue. The very fact that the reds survive in some areas still, is because the Greys are killed at every opportunity. They target Greys in these areas, if one is seen (which is very rare now) they are killed as soon as possible. Eradication would be possible, but its not probable.

At the rate we are wiping out land, and rates of species declining, it may be even less that a couple hundred years before wildlife is near critically extinct.

Cute yes, but ONLY because it is BEHIND BARS!!!!!