Red squirrels have expanded their range in the Scottish Highlands by more than 25% after a 10-year reintroduction programme that relocated hundreds of animals to new habitats. Once close to extinction in the UK due to habitat loss, culling and competition from invasive grey squirrels carrying a deadly virus, the species now shows strong recovery signs thanks to conservation efforts.
The charity Trees for Life has established more than a dozen new thriving populations from Ullapool to Morvern and Lairg. Project manager Becky Priestley welcomed the progress, calling it “a rewilding success story” offering hope for the species’ long-term future. Scotland now holds about 80% of the UK’s estimated 200,000 red squirrels.
The relocations move small groups from healthy populations to northern forests where greys are absent. Animals receive health checks, are taken from varied donor sites to maintain genetic diversity, and are given supplementary food during the early months. The project also supports forest recovery, as squirrels naturally plant trees by misplacing buried nuts.
Further expansion is planned under Trees for Life’s Missing Species programme, which also aims to restore lynx, beavers and a modern wild cattle equivalent. Meanwhile, new contraceptive research may help control grey squirrels in future. Despite ongoing threats such as squirrel pox, conservationists point to thriving isolated populations like the one on the Isle of Wight as a sign of hope.
