Garden and Green

Black Squirrels

You might have read the reports in the media this week that a new type of Squirrel is giving Grey Squirrels a tough time. Black furred squirrels have started appearing in parts of Southern England and are competing with Greys for food, mates and resources.

For years it has been known that the native red squirrel has faced a hard time, being driven further and further north by its larger, more sturdy American Grey cousin. The red has strongholds in Scotland, Northumberland, Cumbria and other remote pockets like Formby. Now it is perhaps a case of the oppresor becoming the oppresed!

The black squirrel is beleived to be a genetic mutation from the Grey and scientists have claimed they could soon start replacing Grey squirrels as they seem to be quicker and more adaptable than the Greys.

Here is some video footage of a Black Squirrel in a garden in Cambridgeshire, which is reported to be a black squirrel hotspot.. -