Red squirrels have vanished from most of Britain, with the great majority of those that remain now clinging on in Scotland. In Wales, one of the last strongholds is Anglesey. But the population is under threat from a disease we could stop, if only we chose to.
Squirrelpox is carried by grey squirrels, who are rarely affected. For red squirrels, it’s a death sentence. They develop raw, spreading skin lesions and die a painful death over a number of days. In one outbreak across north Wales in 2020–21, an estimated 70–80% of the mainland red population was wiped out.
Back in 2023, more than 11,000 people signed a Senedd petition calling on the Welsh Government to fund squirrelpox vaccine research. And it worked, up to a point. The petition was debated in September 2023, won cross-party support, and secured a ministerial commitment to investigate. And then, almost nothing.
The clock is ticking for red squirrels on Anglesey. Councillors have already voted to urge the Welsh Government to act, while researchers at Bangor University have set out the path to a protective vaccine.
The new Welsh Government has a choice. It can be the administration that saved the red squirrel, or the one that stood by as it slipped away.
Please add your name. It takes less than a minute, and it sends a clear message to decision-makers in Cardiff: the people of Wales will not accept another extinction by neglect.