Longleat Safari Park is celebrating Red Squirrel Awareness Week (30 September – 6 October) by shining a spotlight on the urgent need to protect one of the UK’s most beloved yet endangered species.
The once common red squirrel, now a rarity in many parts of England, has seen a dramatic decline in population, largely confined to pockets in Scotland, Northern England, and isolated islands off the southern coast.
Chris Burr, Animal Adventure keeper at Longleat, explained, “Red squirrels are an important species as there aren’t many left in England. They once lived across the UK, but their population is now limited to remote areas.” With only an estimated 280,000 remaining, the species has experienced one of the most significant declines of any UK mammal.
Longleat is proud to be home to a breeding pair of red squirrels, who successfully raised a litter of kits in 2021. The young squirrels from this litter have since been part of a nationwide breeding programme aimed at increasing the population and reintroducing red squirrels to their native habitats.
“One of our previous babies, Little Red, has gone on to father three litters of his own already, which is really exciting for the programme,” Chris added. While it’s unlikely that there will be any new kits this year, the team at Longleat remains hopeful for a new litter in the coming year.
Visitors to Longleat are encouraged to stop by the red squirrel enclosure, where these elusive creatures can sometimes be spotted peeking out from their dreys, the nests they build high in the trees.
