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Wildlife Hunting in British Woodland / Grey Squirrel’s Caught on Camera
Squirrels – Adorable, Full of Character, Friendly or invasive pests. In a way its all correct, but even so – there is something quirky about these creatures. Grey squirrels were imported to the UK from the 1890s onwards, and the traditional view is that they spread rapidly across the UK due to their ability to cope with new landscapes. Different populations of grey squirrels were thought to have interbred into a ‘supersquirrel’ that was better able to adapt and spread. Although this may not be 100% true, as recent DNA profiling of squirrels across the British Isles has shown that many individual populations of Grey Squirrels are not always related to nearby populations, instead they have come from a long way away. The only way they could have travelled so far was by human intervention. For example, the population in Aberdeen is most closely related to populations in Hampshire, around the New Forest area. Squirrels often stowaway under car bonnets and other transport vehicles, and as a result they have spread across the country. Sadly greys still outcompete native red squirrels for resources, and carry diseases that kills reds but not greys. Greys have largely displaced reds in England and Wales. “Eradication or control programs are still needed, in particular in areas where red squirrels are present. So how did the North American Grey Squirrel reach our shores to begin with? It is believed that One of the worst offenders at spreading grey squirrels was the 11th Duke of Bedford, Herbrand Russell. Russell was involved in many successful animal conservation projects, but released and gifted many grey squirrels around the UK from his home at Woburn Park. Russell also released populations in Regent’s Park, likely creating the London epidemic of greys. But let’s put all the bad press that these Squirrels get to the side, as there are so many of us out there that love them. I am one of them, Grey or Red Squirrels they are both adorable and are often friendly too, especially those populations that have lots of contact with humans. Their adorability is the reason they were brought here in the first place. Over the next couple of weeks, Yhana and I are going to capture as much British Wildlife as we can, and showcase these videos here on our YouTube channel – So please, if you have not yet subscribed then don’t forget to hit the button, give us a like, leave a comment and hit the notification bell – As it really does help us grow our channel. A big thank you for watching everyone, stay safe, keep well and see you all soon.
- Published: 28 July 2021
- Location: Essex, England
- Duration: 11:24
- Photography – Stephen Robert Kuta / Yhana Kuta
- Written by – Stephen Robert Kuta
Music –
Music Licensed by Epidemic Sound
Squirrels – Adorable, Full of Character, Friendly or invasive pests. In a way its all correct, but even so – there is something quirky about these creatures. Grey squirrels were imported to the UK from the 1890s onwards, and the traditional view is that they spread rapidly across the UK due to their ability to cope with new landscapes. Different populations of grey squirrels were thought to have interbred into a ‘supersquirrel’ that was better able to adapt and spread. Although this may not be 100% true, as recent DNA profiling of squirrels across the British Isles has shown that many individual populations of Grey Squirrels are not always related to nearby populations, instead they have come from a long way away. The only way they could have travelled so far was by human intervention. For example, the population in Aberdeen is most closely related to populations in Hampshire, around the New Forest area. Squirrels often stowaway under car bonnets and other transport vehicles, and as a result they have spread across the country. Sadly greys still outcompete native red squirrels for resources, and carry diseases that kills reds but not greys. Greys have largely displaced reds in England and Wales. “Eradication or control programs are still needed, in particular in areas where red squirrels are present. So how did the North American Grey Squirrel reach our shores to begin with? It is believed that One of the worst offenders at spreading grey squirrels was the 11th Duke of Bedford, Herbrand Russell. Russell was involved in many successful animal conservation projects, but released and gifted many grey squirrels around the UK from his home at Woburn Park. Russell also released populations in Regent’s Park, likely creating the London epidemic of greys. But let’s put all the bad press that these Squirrels get to the side, as there are so many of us out there that love them. I am one of them, Grey or Red Squirrels they are both adorable and are often friendly too, especially those populations that have lots of contact with humans. Their adorability is the reason they were brought here in the first place. Over the next couple of weeks, Yhana and I are going to capture as much British Wildlife as we can, and showcase these videos here on our YouTube channel – So please, if you have not yet subscribed then don’t forget to hit the button, give us a like, leave a comment and hit the notification bell – As it really does help us grow our channel. A big thank you for watching everyone, stay safe, keep well and see you all soon. #wildlife #britishwildlife #squirrels #greysquirrels
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