Since the 19th Century, the red squirrel has been slowly edged out by the larger and more outgoing grey squirrel. In the Lake District, the native red has seen the same decline as many other parts of the United Kingdom, since the introduction of its grey cousin from overseas. There are however, exceptions, such as Whinlatter Forest, where the red squirrel is strong in numbers.
As a region, Cumbria-The Lake District has been at the forefront of trying to counteract this trend and various organisations have been proactive in taking this forward. The Forestry Commission and Save Our Squirrels, for example, will help these Lake District squirrels, through the opening of a site near Keswick which will allow us to view them in their natural habitat and therefore understand them better.
In Windermere there are various projects, funded by local organisations which will help favour the red squirrel. This is increasingly important as there are only around 21,000 remaining in the whole of the UK.
While the grey squirrel does not directly attack the red, they tend to be less affected by breeding pressures, can more easily digest acorns and pass on a virus which is more likely to kill the red squirrel; all attributes which have assisted their population growth to the detriment of the native Red.
By voluntarily donating an optional amount of £1 per stay, guests of Hillthwaite House Hotel - Lake District have raised in excess of £15,000 towards saving this endangered species.
Donations are forwarded to the Save Our Squirrels project via The Tourism and Conservation Partnership, ensuring all money raised stays in Cumbria.
Click here to visit the Save Our Squirrels website where you can find out all about these endangered animals and how to help even more.
