Red Left For Dead

For the Wear Valley Mercury (Oct 29)

Pics of red squirrels at Killhope by Phil Curtis.

Decision is nuts: A Killhope red squirrel

By Ryan Pilot

WEAR Valley's last bastion for red squirrels will receive no help from a North East body as the county is surrendered to the invasive greys.

The war on the grey is long fought in the North East, but the Durham front is to be abandoned as new funding focuses on Northumberland, Cumbria and North Yorkshire.

Save Our Squirrels (SOS) received £50,000 this month from the Heritage Lottery Fund to help North East Reds - but will not be spending it on County Durham due to its lack of red strongholds.

An SOS spokesperson said: "Northumberland, Cumbria and the tip of Yorkshire have red squirrel strongholds. Lots of places like Durham - there are red squirrels but they have smaller pockets."

There are 17 strongholds in the North East - none of them in County Durham which is over-run by the squirrel pox-carrying greys. The pox does not affect the American grey, but is deadly to the red.

Durham Wildlife Trust director Jim Corkhill said: "The national strategy to conserving red squirrels is to protect areas where there are still reasonable populations. We don't have any significant large populations left in County Durham."

But Killhope Lead Mining Museum is continuing the fight for the Durham reds singlehandedly. Their population diminished after last year's harsh winter and the removal of nearby Forestry Commission woodland - but is quickly recovering.

Visitor services officer Shelagh Connor said: "Towards the end of the summer we have seen them returning - they're nothing like the number we have seen in the past - but where there's two there'll soon be more if you know what I mean!"

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Staff feed squirrels with a buffet of nuts daily and provide traps for nearby residents who spot greys to catch and kill them - maintaining a grey-free zone.

Disappointed with the SOS decision, Ms Connor added: "I don't know how significant our red squirrel population is nationally. But any red population should be helped really, so they should help us, give us their money!"

Despite visitors coming from far and wide to see Killhope's reds, it is not viewed as an area of significance by SOS.

Ms Connor added: "I don't know what qualifies to put us on the map. We don't have help from outside organisations - it's the staff mainly. We're pretty much on our own."