hey! so we've nearly got the camper van to get us on the road making videos! we're just getting everything together and planning the start of the journey! I'm documenting this and more over on patreon where you can become a member to support, follow and influence Leave Curious! www.patreon.com/leavecurious
I do recall that pine martens are beneficial because red squirrels are lighter than pine martens and can go further out on a branch to escape while grey squirrels being heavier can't.
Having seen both regularly over the years, the reds seem to me to be slightly more agile and faster in the trees than the larger more muscular greys. The Martens and the reds coexisted for thousands of years so the reds must have successful ways to avoid them.
Trapped and humanly dispatched. I met a fellow ecologist years ago who didn’t agree with getting rid of greys, which I found mind-blowing given the irrefutable evidence showing the negative impact on reds and our native woodlands. Honestly, I cannot abide the calls to leave greys be. Yes it’s not their fault, they are just trying to live like everything else. However it was us that brought them here and we must right a historical wrong. Unfortunately the losers are the greys but the winners will be our native reds, which is something that everyone should be supporting.
Ireland seems to have solved its grey squirrel problem fairly simply with Pine Martens - simply by protecting the Martens, Greys have been systemically driven back
Greetings from Vienna, where we have red squirrels ( _Sciurus vulgaris_ ) happily living side-by-side with stone martens or beech martens ( _Martes foina_ ), close relatives, of course to pine Martens. These animals are living in fully urban environments within the city of Vienna.
Take 4😤, People who care about animals frequently lose sight of the wood for the trees. By trying to keep literally every animal alive and happy even ones that shouldn't be there, they frequently result in animals, plants etc having less happiness or none at all. The italians cared so much about making grey squirrel happiness high that they didn't care about the happiness and wellbeing of the rest of the animals in the ecosystem. Will the italian animal lovers take responsibility for all the unhappiness of the poorly red squirrel caused by protecting the greys?
would the same argument stand if applied to human dimension? Would you care about each individual person and avoid inflicting suffering on them, or would the "greater good" for the larger group of people make suffering of one acceptable?
true caring is respecting nature and taking care for it. Not all who claim to be (big) animal friends are. To many people lost all touch with nature, the same people who pet a wild animal 'ohhh so cute' while the animal is stunned of fear, feeling horror with every touch. The same people who feed squirrels peanuts 'ohhh I care so much about them' while it's poisonous to them.
@@Beckford4000beware that red squirrels are most often red, but they can be grey or black as well. Where I live in Italy, I see grey red squirrels more often than red ones (yes: I'm 100% sure they are red squirrels).
@@AelwynMrVery true. You can always tell a red by the ear tufts though, even if it has lighter fur. Greys have longer ears without the fluffy tips. Also, the difference in size is very great. Greys are at least twice as big.
Their native range has red foxes, gray foxes, fisher cats, martens, mink, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, raccoons, venomous snakes, and multiple species of eagles and hawks.
Yeah, I have a couple living near my house. But the mix of the foxes, Lynxes and Bamse (my neigbour's large cat) doesn't always makes things easy for them. I never really got the people getting upset of the squirrels getting into their birdfeeder in winter, mine are welcome just like the birds. They are really cute and huge fans of the wild hazel nut trees (those are pretty rare here, I think the squirrels are the reason there are so many around here).
Awwwww...... I *love* squirrels! I'm in New Zealand and we don't have them here! On the two times I've been to Canada and the States, I've fallen in love with the wildlife - particularly squirrels and moose!
A close encounter with a red one is even cuter.. Moose ain't that cute when you are driving a car though, I was a meter from one a few months back and I am not sure who of us got most scared. My relationship with moose is more mutual respect then love.
I live in an area of Ireland where pine martins would be considered a pest, I don’t see a lot of squirrels around here because forests are predominantly Sitka spruce plantations, not great habitat for anything, but if I do they’re red squirrels, Ireland has a grey squirrel problem also but I suspect and hope it never gets as bad as over in England
Here in the southern and central part of Italy we have a native black squirrel, recognised as a distinct species from the red squirrel. It is bigger than the red squirrel so may be a natural competitor to the invading grey.
I remember my first time visiting the UK as a child and I was astonished and fascinated by seeing GRAY squirrels instead of seeing the reds that are in Sweden.
We have Greys in Ireland too! They've been taking over east to West, the West is still Red dominant but around Dublin you're mostly just going to see Greys
Something interesting I've observed here in northern Wisconsin. We have a small red squirrel also. When my family moved here our forest was quick succession plants that grow after clear cutting we had nothing but red squirrels. As the forest. Slowly gave over to hardwoods the forest ecosystem changed and the Grey's moved in. I do t know if your red squirrel over there is similar to ours but the grey squirrel does not seem to like early regrowth forests.
Skye has a bridge, and there are plenty of both red squirrels and pine martens on the mainland side. The martens have crossed the bridge but the squirrels haven't yet - they'll find martens waiting for them when they do. (There are no greys anywhere near us.)
In Sweden Lynx go for bigger pray including deer. Is there a climatic limit for the Gray Squirrel since they are less in Scotland? or is it just the type of food available?
If greys continue spreading to other countries well europe has way more pine martens then the uk in fact they are quite common so greys will have a hard time
_Eastern_ grey squirrels -- they aren't native to all of N. America. In fact, they're quite a problem in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, where they are displacing native western grey squirrels. Western grey squirrels are actually larger than the easterns, but that doesnt help them. The easterns are just more bold/obnoxious, more aggressive, probably smarter, and they breed faster.
Here in Hong Kong, we have the Pallas's Squirrel. Brought over as pets, apparently some were released - some escaped. As far as I know they pose no issue despite being a 'not local species' as we don't have native squirrels.
With wildlife battling for survival in many places in the UK due to loss of habitat I confess I enjoy the squirrels (grey)in my garden . We have no reds in Essex . They are lucky if they can find trees to live in ! But they can be destructive but I can live with that
I think it's paramount for our natural habitat we are very much a part of to correct previous mistakes. The grey squirrel doesn't belong in Europe and should be dealt with as many other species of animal that are upsetting the balance in an already limited and very fragile environment.
Eurasian red squirrels and american gray squirrels are very closely related, being in the same sub genus of sciurus, are they hybridizing? Eurasian red squirrels and american red squirrels show a great deal of convergent evolution, does the niche separation present in America provide a road map for Europe? Does the bark gnawing tendancy of British grays point to the disrupted state (lacking in martens, goshawks and wildcats) of the British landscape or is it an indication that speciation is in progress and that British grays are on their way to becoming something different than their american cousins? Are the British red squirrels starting to show any resilience to squirrel pox? Finaly, how deeply embedded is the gray squirrel in the British ecosystem (with millions on the landscape they have to be moving food and seeds around).
Damn I never saw Greys in Italy: I guess some Smartie must have thought it was a bright idea to release them, as they did with Racoons, Nutries and American River shrimps... 🤦
9:03 The projection showed that the grey squirrels would cross into France by 2030 but we're well ahead of schedule. I was in the south of France this summer and in a forest where I'd seen red squirrels a few years ago, now the chubby grey guys were everywhere. The forest didn't look too good either, lots of trees with dead branches or just looking sickly 🙁
Lynx are not any tree hunters. The european lynx is roedear specialist sure it can take a hare or a fox if that is the only thing availible, but you have a loot of diffrent smal dear specis in England .
Hi, like with many people my comment was also removed by UA-cam, i think it might down to having the word to do with 'terminating squirrels' in them. You probably already do this but in youtube studio you can see comments held for review so they might be there?
I’ll look at this again, but there was nothing in held for review. Maybe there’s a setting which is stopping comments. But I’m certainly not deleting any
@LeaveCurious it seems UA-cam has gone mad with comment moderation recently. But it is so dumb they don't notify the user as it makes the content creator look like they are doing it (even though I know you are obviously not, I wish other people also realised...)
Also in the Western Cape , South Africa with its Mediterranean climate where I believe they were introduced by Cecil John Rhodes in the late 19th century, who found them cute. These invasive rats in suits have spread into villages in this mountainous area & have impacted on the bird life & probably more by feeding on both eggs & the nestlings. Sadly most folks do not realize what an ecological nightmare they are & feed them. Birth control feed for them & the feral cats is a wonderful idea. Thankyou.
7:52 is that a pine Martin in a tree to the left looking as a viewer? Something big climbing over a branch from right to left then going down a tree just at his hairline.
When you say that in Europe grey squirrels are only found in Italy - this actually confuses me as I'm from Ukraine and we have loads of grey squirrels in there with red squirrel numbers plummeting rapidly. Grey squirrels started to appear long time ago (more than 20 years ago for sure) and this has been a massive issue since. Or are these different - i.e. are there different kinds of "grey" squirrel?
Not sure why you're holding up the Lynx as a major factor here, seeing as Eurasian Lynx tend to prefer Roedeer and lagomorphs, and also actually prey on several of the squirrels' major predators such as Red Fox and Pine Marten. Lynx may be vital in other contexts, such as keeping the deer population in check, but when it comes to squirrels, surely Pine Marten and Goshawk are more relevant.
yeah goshawk for sure and other birds of prey i'd imagine, i don't actually pine martens predate them more just out compete them. a lynx will certainly favour roe deer, but wouldn't pass on an opportunity of ambushing a squirrel or two
For centuries nature have managed to create a healthy balance in areas. Then mankind arrived and disturbed the natural balance. Invasive species mostly doesn't have a natural enemy, so this creates an unbalanced situation that might have serious consequences.
@@alicelund147 But you don't have North American Grey and Eurasian Reds living together! Just because American Red and Eurasian Red both have "Red" in their name doesn't mean they're the same species, the American Red is physiologically much more similar to the Grey than it is to a Eurasian Red.
When you said only Britain and Italy had American squirrels that really confused me because I was absolutely sure we were having the same issue in Germany for years now, but it turns out that's just a myth based on half-knowledge of the English case and despite some being grey/black all the squirrels we have here are just different shades of European squirrel
Yeah I have to admit, I was a little cautious amount making such claims having not actually been to Germany myself - but i could find any solid evidence online to suggest otherwise
@@LeaveCurious I just did a cursory search when it stuck out to me in your video and at least according to the big wildlife advocacy groups over here it seems like it's really just people mistaking oddly coloured individuals of the native species for the invasive one - which apparently leads them being trapped for no real reason unfortunately, so it's probably a good idea to raise awareness of the fact
Grey squirrels get a bad rap. Red squirrels strip bark just like greys. Much of the fear is overblown. Of course they’re still a terrible threat to red squirrels themselves. The reason the above is important to understand is that a lot of people feel it okay to commit cruelty to the greys.
mine too - presumably because mine was in defence of greys! They say it's a glitch but odd the glitch only removes comments that don't agree with this channels narrative
Its because algorithms just scan for words not context. I'm sure after recent events they've just put a number like - 2 uses of this list of bad words and it gets removed. Or something dumb.
@@julesc1665 They have been removing like 80% of my comments even if they don't have anything negative in them and no matter how careful I am with my wording. Its extremely annoying.
Because the planet is only for people and the oil cie, kidding, I'm a sylverculturist from Montreal, Qc! They're not native here, they put their nests in trees and winter blows! Our native chipmunk's live in the ground, been around the block! They never remove our bark (I'm a forest technician) Chucky's on your side, go Beatrix Potter go!
Can i post anything? E: apparently yes but not what i want. UA-cam is so broken. E2: Hallelujah I finally managed to get my comment through by writing like it was for kids.🙄
Gotta love YTfascistcensorship. Seems I can't repeat words used in this same video, because of course words that rhyme with bunting, strapping, and common turns of phrase like "itchy bigger flinger" related to the subject are indistinguishable from direct threats of grave violence. FFS, youtube.
-gottaloveYTcensorshiplet'strythisagain- Ah, animal rights "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same people would jump at the chance to scream at American whitepeopleto "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
Let's try this again... Ah, animalrights "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same individuals would jump at the chance to scream at Americanwhitepeopleto "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
And another go. Ah, animalryghts "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same individuals would jump at the chance to scream at Americanwhyte people to "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
Fascinating how I can say the above, but even removing/editing all the naughtynaughty words such as those previously mentioned from my original post still leads to censorship.
Basic rundown - unsurprising activist hypocrisy/myopia is unsurprising, it shouldn't be that hard to make a "thing" that's better able to select for grays while also being able to remotely let unintended animals go since we've seen successful efforts related to keeping rats out of various ecosystems, and I'd be curious to see data on martins effects on other species vs (rhymes with "grunters") for which has a more negative effect on off (rhymes with "narget") animals.
I would like to hear more on contraception for greys? Dues it only work on greys, not reds? Is it dangerous yo other animal species.. Why arent greys trapped for human consumption or at least pet food?
GonaCon is a wildlife contraceptive widely used especially in North America for controlling deer population but it also works for most mammals, and is used for squirrels too. Quoting from the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service paper "The Use of GonaCon in Wildlife Damage Management" - USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) has developed an immunocontraceptive vaccine called GonaCon, which includes the active ingredient GnRH conjugated to a mollusk-derived carrier protein, against endogenously produced GnRH. When injected into a target animal, GonaCon induces the body to make antibodies against its own GnRH, causing infertility. GonaCon has been shown to be an effective tool in managing fertility in wild and feral mammal species.
European pine martian: "I mean....both the greys and reds are delicious so I'm glad to live in a place that has both of them living in the same area. More food for me."
In europe yes, but separated by a small channel, which for now stops greys moving. But massive links like shipping, ferries, and trains make their spread almost inevitable.
You could make the same argument for the Danish main Islands. Politically we may not be in the EU but Geographically we are on the European continental plate.
@@LeaveCurious and yet every comment in which i take issue with the 'fact' that grey squirrels are the cause of the demise and decline of red squirrels mysteriously gets removed! How odd! Humans are the number one reason as always but i won't waste my time trying to explain why as i will be censored
@@julesc1665 I can see your comments right now. It's much more likely that UA-cam is glitching, as it's been doing this thing a lot recently where it hides your own comments and replies (especially replies). Even I've had this issue in this comments section. Besides, there are other comments here echoing your thoughts too and even the the guy in this video seemed to hint that he's against any cruel culling of grey squirrels.
And yet the new modern woke opinion is that the decline of the Red is nothing to do with the Grey… we must accept anything and everything according to Gary Lineker 😂
What? Pretty much everyone of all political ideologies knows why red squirrels are declining, it's nothing to do with politics. And what does Gary Linekar have to do with anything? I don't think red squirrels are declining due to Match of the Day. I swear some people are just way too bored and love to throw around the word 'woke' everywhere without actually being able to state what it is.
This sounds like a dog whistle and @LeaveCurious I am astounded you have liked this! You realise the OG poster is insinuating that we should accept immigrants as Lineker has said, but framed it as a negative. As if it was equivalent to letting red squirrels be offed by the grey? RIGHT?
@@SplatterInker I have no idea why he's liked such a ridiculous comment. I wanna give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was an accident or it was so stupid that he found it funny. He's clearly intelligent, so it's very strange. UA-cam has also hidden my reply to this silly comment for some reason. Edit: now it's saying there are only 2 replies when it should be 3! I'll give @LeaveCurious the benefit of the doubt, as I don't think he deleted it, but youtube clearly has a huge problem with this.
Perhaps look at why you're so suspicious? If your mind went straight to 'dogwhistling' (a socio-political observation) then you're missing out on a whole world outside of political motivation for absolutely everything. That's just sad. Not everything is about left and right.
hey! so we've nearly got the camper van to get us on the road making videos! we're just getting everything together and planning the start of the journey! I'm documenting this and more over on patreon where you can become a member to support, follow and influence Leave Curious! www.patreon.com/leavecurious
Red squirrels are much cuter.
I do recall that pine martens are beneficial because red squirrels are lighter than pine martens and can go further out on a branch to escape while grey squirrels being heavier can't.
Red squirrels also know to avoid pine martens whilst the greys don’t
Yeah this makes sense!
Having seen both regularly over the years, the reds seem to me to be slightly more agile and faster in the trees than the larger more muscular greys. The Martens and the reds coexisted for thousands of years so the reds must have successful ways to avoid them.
I have heard the Pine Martens prefer to eat the Greys, because they are heavier and therefore have more to eat.
@@theotheseaeagle- I strongly suspect eastern grey squirrels will adapt to martens.
I live on the Isle of Wight and we have no grays, only reds.
Lucky
And amazing
Yeah that’s cool, haven’t been over there in years. Would be a cool trip as there’s also white tailed eagles 🦅
WOW
Theres a lot of greys here, but they're grey humans not squirrels
Trapped and humanly dispatched. I met a fellow ecologist years ago who didn’t agree with getting rid of greys, which I found mind-blowing given the irrefutable evidence showing the negative impact on reds and our native woodlands. Honestly, I cannot abide the calls to leave greys be. Yes it’s not their fault, they are just trying to live like everything else. However it was us that brought them here and we must right a historical wrong. Unfortunately the losers are the greys but the winners will be our native reds, which is something that everyone should be supporting.
Ireland seems to have solved its grey squirrel problem fairly simply with Pine Martens - simply by protecting the Martens, Greys have been systemically driven back
Greetings from Vienna, where we have red squirrels ( _Sciurus vulgaris_ ) happily living side-by-side with stone martens or beech martens ( _Martes foina_ ), close relatives, of course to pine Martens. These animals are living in fully urban environments within the city of Vienna.
Its the same in warsaw where i live
Take 4😤, People who care about animals frequently lose sight of the wood for the trees. By trying to keep literally every animal alive and happy even ones that shouldn't be there, they frequently result in animals, plants etc having less happiness or none at all. The italians cared so much about making grey squirrel happiness high that they didn't care about the happiness and wellbeing of the rest of the animals in the ecosystem. Will the italian animal lovers take responsibility for all the unhappiness of the poorly red squirrel caused by protecting the greys?
would the same argument stand if applied to human dimension? Would you care about each individual person and avoid inflicting suffering on them, or would the "greater good" for the larger group of people make suffering of one acceptable?
@@DavidCruickshank Life is not happiness it is existence. One form of life exists while another goes extinct; there is no other reality.
Multiculturalism vs Nationalism 😂
@@thegreenmage6956 It is both!
true caring is respecting nature and taking care for it. Not all who claim to be (big) animal friends are.
To many people lost all touch with nature, the same people who pet a wild animal 'ohhh so cute' while the animal is stunned of fear, feeling horror with every touch. The same people who feed squirrels peanuts 'ohhh I care so much about them' while it's poisonous to them.
Great video. Thanks for the shout-out Rob. Did you notice the squirrel behind you at 7.50? 👀
Great spot Dan haha I did only while editing, was hoping for something like this to happen while filming! Thanks again for the awesome footage 🙌
Great footage, I've just gone across and subscribed 😊
@@EventDogs Appreciate that. Glad you liked it. Thanks 🙏
@@LeaveCuriousis that not a pine marten at 7:50,looks too big to be a squirrel
@@samjohnson4786 i agree
In Switzerland we have so many pine martens and foxes, if the grey squirrel cross the Swiss border they will for sure have a hard life.
I live in Czechia, we have red squirrels and the smaller black squirrels. I have seen a couple of greys, but reds are the dominant species.
@@Beckford4000beware that red squirrels are most often red, but they can be grey or black as well. Where I live in Italy, I see grey red squirrels more often than red ones (yes: I'm 100% sure they are red squirrels).
@@AelwynMrVery true. You can always tell a red by the ear tufts though, even if it has lighter fur. Greys have longer ears without the fluffy tips. Also, the difference in size is very great. Greys are at least twice as big.
Their native range has red foxes, gray foxes, fisher cats, martens, mink, bobcats, coyotes, mountain lions, raccoons, venomous snakes, and multiple species of eagles and hawks.
At 7:52, there is actually a marten behind you, climbing down a tree
I spent some time in Sweden earlier this year and found the red squirrels to be so much more playful and pretty in contrast to the environment.
Yeah, I have a couple living near my house. But the mix of the foxes, Lynxes and Bamse (my neigbour's large cat) doesn't always makes things easy for them.
I never really got the people getting upset of the squirrels getting into their birdfeeder in winter, mine are welcome just like the birds.
They are really cute and huge fans of the wild hazel nut trees (those are pretty rare here, I think the squirrels are the reason there are so many around here).
Scottish wildcats could also help curb the grey squirrel popularity in the UK...
Red Squirrels are always the thing to protect in the UK
Giving grey squirrels contraceptives is a great idea.
Animal Rights groups protected the grey squirrels in Italy. Such activists can do more harm than good.
7:50 squirrel?! 😆
Awwwww...... I *love* squirrels!
I'm in New Zealand and we don't have them here!
On the two times I've been to Canada and the States, I've fallen in love with the wildlife - particularly squirrels and moose!
Yeah you certainly have some awesome wildlife over there! I spent a month there years ago, needed longer!
🇳🇿🇨🇦
A close encounter with a red one is even cuter.. Moose ain't that cute when you are driving a car though, I was a meter from one a few months back and I am not sure who of us got most scared. My relationship with moose is more mutual respect then love.
I live in an area of Ireland where pine martins would be considered a pest, I don’t see a lot of squirrels around here because forests are predominantly Sitka spruce plantations, not great habitat for anything, but if I do they’re red squirrels, Ireland has a grey squirrel problem also but I suspect and hope it never gets as bad as over in England
Here in the southern and central part of Italy we have a native black squirrel, recognised as a distinct species from the red squirrel. It is bigger than the red squirrel so may be a natural competitor to the invading grey.
Here in Cambridge, we have black squirrels that are melanistic versions of the grey.
I remember my first time visiting the UK as a child and I was astonished and fascinated by seeing GRAY squirrels instead of seeing the reds that are in Sweden.
I've seen a squirrel once in my life so I am going to assume it was red!
We have Greys in Ireland too! They've been taking over east to West, the West is still Red dominant but around Dublin you're mostly just going to see Greys
Oh yeah! Would love to visit Ireland, never been.
@@LeaveCurious take a road trip out west, you'll have a great time!:]
Something interesting I've observed here in northern Wisconsin. We have a small red squirrel also. When my family moved here our forest was quick succession plants that grow after clear cutting we had nothing but red squirrels. As the forest. Slowly gave over to hardwoods the forest ecosystem changed and the Grey's moved in. I do t know if your red squirrel over there is similar to ours but the grey squirrel does not seem to like early regrowth forests.
For some reason the skit of Monty Python's the Holy Grail popped up in my head. Replace the killer rabbit with the grey squirrel. ;)
Was that a pine marten in the background at 7:50 to 7:53? Looked too big and long to be a squirrel :D
Good spot! I wish it was pine marten, but most likely a big fat grey!
Wow, well spotted! I think you might be right, you can get a fairly good look at it if you slow it down to quarter speed
Skye has a bridge, and there are plenty of both red squirrels and pine martens on the mainland side. The martens have crossed the bridge but the squirrels haven't yet - they'll find martens waiting for them when they do. (There are no greys anywhere near us.)
I saw my first red squirrels in Isle of Wight the other weekend!
No borders, everyone welcome apparently not so in flora & fauna 🤔
In Sweden Lynx go for bigger pray including deer. Is there a climatic limit for the Gray Squirrel since they are less in Scotland? or is it just the type of food available?
If greys continue spreading to other countries well europe has way more pine martens then the uk in fact they are quite common so greys will have a hard time
_Eastern_ grey squirrels -- they aren't native to all of N. America. In fact, they're quite a problem in the Pacific Northwest of the USA, where they are displacing native western grey squirrels.
Western grey squirrels are actually larger than the easterns, but that doesnt help them. The easterns are just more bold/obnoxious, more aggressive, probably smarter, and they breed faster.
Here in Hong Kong, we have the Pallas's Squirrel. Brought over as pets, apparently some were released - some escaped. As far as I know they pose no issue despite being a 'not local species' as we don't have native squirrels.
With wildlife battling for survival in many places in the UK due to loss of habitat I confess I enjoy the squirrels (grey)in my garden . We have no reds in Essex .
They are lucky if they can find trees to live in !
But they can be destructive but I can live with that
I think it's paramount for our natural habitat we are very much a part of to correct previous mistakes. The grey squirrel doesn't belong in Europe and should be dealt with as many other species of animal that are upsetting the balance in an already limited and very fragile environment.
Eurasian red squirrels and american gray squirrels are very closely related, being in the same sub genus of sciurus, are they hybridizing? Eurasian red squirrels and american red squirrels show a great deal of convergent evolution, does the niche separation present in America provide a road map for Europe? Does the bark gnawing tendancy of British grays point to the disrupted state (lacking in martens, goshawks and wildcats) of the British landscape or is it an indication that speciation is in progress and that British grays are on their way to becoming something different than their american cousins? Are the British red squirrels starting to show any resilience to squirrel pox? Finaly, how deeply embedded is the gray squirrel in the British ecosystem (with millions on the landscape they have to be moving food and seeds around).
The Reds are beautiful to see but we rarely see them now
Sounds like Tree Rat is on the menu boy's!
It's so weird that grey squirrels in the UK are stripping bark of the trees.
Damn I never saw Greys in Italy: I guess some Smartie must have thought it was a bright idea to release them, as they did with Racoons, Nutries and American River shrimps... 🤦
9:03 The projection showed that the grey squirrels would cross into France by 2030 but we're well ahead of schedule. I was in the south of France this summer and in a forest where I'd seen red squirrels a few years ago, now the chubby grey guys were everywhere. The forest didn't look too good either, lots of trees with dead branches or just looking sickly 🙁
When I was younger I remember seeing lots of reds
Where I live in western Germany I have seen the grey squirrels a lot of times before
Brilliant footage, thank you
Lynx are not any tree hunters.
The european lynx is roedear specialist sure it can take a hare or a fox if that is the only thing availible, but you have a loot of diffrent smal dear specis in England .
That is pretty crazy! I live in Atlanta and they are everywhere!
The eternal march of the great grey squirrel can not be stopped
This is Great content!
There's a big fat grey squirrel up my loft I'm my new house, it's ate through the loft roof, & insulation, it's in the walls, not nice at all....
Time to put the greys on the menu bois
Hi, like with many people my comment was also removed by UA-cam, i think it might down to having the word to do with 'terminating squirrels' in them. You probably already do this but in youtube studio you can see comments held for review so they might be there?
I’ll look at this again, but there was nothing in held for review. Maybe there’s a setting which is stopping comments. But I’m certainly not deleting any
@LeaveCurious it seems UA-cam has gone mad with comment moderation recently. But it is so dumb they don't notify the user as it makes the content creator look like they are doing it (even though I know you are obviously not, I wish other people also realised...)
Is it just me or is this guy possibly the next David Attenborough? He definitely has the voice for it!
Also in the Western Cape , South Africa with its Mediterranean climate where I believe they were introduced by Cecil John Rhodes in the late 19th century, who found them cute. These invasive rats in suits have spread into villages in this mountainous area & have impacted on the bird life & probably more by feeding on both eggs & the nestlings. Sadly most folks do not realize what an ecological nightmare they are & feed them. Birth control feed for them & the feral cats is a wonderful idea. Thankyou.
7:52 is that a pine Martin in a tree to the left looking as a viewer? Something big climbing over a branch from right to left then going down a tree just at his hairline.
7:49 there was a squirrel behind you.
can we make it fashionable to have Grey Squirrel on the menu ?
protect the red squirrels at all costs
Thanks!
The Grey Squirrel is practically invasive over here in North America!
It's literally American... do you just mean it's overpopulated? Or that it's migrated beyond its original reach?
Is that a pine marten behind your head in the trees at 7:50?
You said Italy is the only other part of Europe with Grey Squirrels outside Britain, but Ireland has Grey Squirrels
We've the same issues in Ireland
Who hell brought these here in the first place.
When you say that in Europe grey squirrels are only found in Italy - this actually confuses me as I'm from Ukraine and we have loads of grey squirrels in there with red squirrel numbers plummeting rapidly. Grey squirrels started to appear long time ago (more than 20 years ago for sure) and this has been a massive issue since.
Or are these different - i.e. are there different kinds of "grey" squirrel?
There are grey furred red squirrels 🤷♂️
7 mins 50 secs , is that a squirrel in background
Can't we send the grey squirrels to Rwanda?
Not sure why you're holding up the Lynx as a major factor here, seeing as Eurasian Lynx tend to prefer Roedeer and lagomorphs, and also actually prey on several of the squirrels' major predators such as Red Fox and Pine Marten. Lynx may be vital in other contexts, such as keeping the deer population in check, but when it comes to squirrels, surely Pine Marten and Goshawk are more relevant.
yeah goshawk for sure and other birds of prey i'd imagine, i don't actually pine martens predate them more just out compete them. a lynx will certainly favour roe deer, but wouldn't pass on an opportunity of ambushing a squirrel or two
Is it possible to vaccinate a large population of the red squirrels?
For centuries nature have managed to create a healthy balance in areas. Then mankind arrived and disturbed the natural balance. Invasive species mostly doesn't have a natural enemy, so this creates an unbalanced situation that might have serious consequences.
I herd that in North America Gray and Red Squirrels live in the same areas.
The American Red Squirrel and Eurasian Red Squirrel are different species so will have different resistance to disease.
@@garysmith5025 Yes but in North America they seem to live together.
@@alicelund147 But you don't have North American Grey and Eurasian Reds living together! Just because American Red and Eurasian Red both have "Red" in their name doesn't mean they're the same species, the American Red is physiologically much more similar to the Grey than it is to a Eurasian Red.
@@garysmith5025 Thanks I didn't know that.
When you said only Britain and Italy had American squirrels that really confused me because I was absolutely sure we were having the same issue in Germany for years now, but it turns out that's just a myth based on half-knowledge of the English case and despite some being grey/black all the squirrels we have here are just different shades of European squirrel
Yeah I have to admit, I was a little cautious amount making such claims having not actually been to Germany myself - but i could find any solid evidence online to suggest otherwise
@@LeaveCurious I just did a cursory search when it stuck out to me in your video and at least according to the big wildlife advocacy groups over here it seems like it's really just people mistaking oddly coloured individuals of the native species for the invasive one - which apparently leads them being trapped for no real reason unfortunately, so it's probably a good idea to raise awareness of the fact
Britain is Europe, how is Europe next if they're already here?
you know the answer to this question :)
I find that even non-brexiteer Brits tend to use "Europe" as short for "Continental Europe".
Grey squirrels get a bad rap. Red squirrels strip bark just like greys. Much of the fear is overblown. Of course they’re still a terrible threat to red squirrels themselves.
The reason the above is important to understand is that a lot of people feel it okay to commit cruelty to the greys.
Out of curiosity, how would the red squirrel fare in North America?
It'd never get established because of the same problems they experience with grey squirrels in the uk
In North America, we already have a species of red squirrel that lives in pine forests. So there would probably be nowhere for it to survive.
Seems my comment was removed, not sure why
Yeah, youtube seems to be getting worse and worse in that regard.
mine too - presumably because mine was in defence of greys! They say it's a glitch but odd the glitch only removes comments that don't agree with this channels narrative
Its because algorithms just scan for words not context. I'm sure after recent events they've just put a number like - 2 uses of this list of bad words and it gets removed. Or something dumb.
@@SplatterInker I was careful with what I said though ....
@@julesc1665 They have been removing like 80% of my comments even if they don't have anything negative in them and no matter how careful I am with my wording. Its extremely annoying.
Because the planet is only for people and the oil cie, kidding, I'm a sylverculturist from Montreal, Qc! They're not native here, they put their nests in trees and winter blows! Our native chipmunk's live in the ground, been around the block! They never remove our bark (I'm a forest technician) Chucky's on your side, go Beatrix Potter go!
nice
Holland have greys
Or pine martin 7:50
This comment is not only to improve this videos engagment at all
For some reason, my comments are being removed. So i cant say my opinion...
This one came through - add it here. UA-cam removes comments and I don’t know why
@LeaveCurious huh, I did reply, the comment has been removed!
It took me several attempts to rewrite a comment youtube would accept. It is getting ridiculous, especially with all the bots around.
@@mrslinkydragon9910 I can see your comment. I think youtube is just glitching and being dumb again.
@@bestrafung2754 which one?
Can i post anything? E: apparently yes but not what i want. UA-cam is so broken. E2: Hallelujah I finally managed to get my comment through by writing like it was for kids.🙄
bring back the lynx
hunt and eat
How do You spell "skwrl"?
(Can I add any more consonants?)
Gotta love YTfascistcensorship. Seems I can't repeat words used in this same video, because of course words that rhyme with bunting, strapping, and common turns of phrase like "itchy bigger flinger" related to the subject are indistinguishable from direct threats of grave violence. FFS, youtube.
-gottaloveYTcensorshiplet'strythisagain-
Ah, animal rights "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same people would jump at the chance to scream at American whitepeopleto "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
Let's try this again...
Ah, animalrights "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same individuals would jump at the chance to scream at Americanwhitepeopleto "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
And another go.
Ah, animalryghts "activists." Just as ironic and myopic as most others, because why protect local species when you can let them be decimated by patting yourself on the back for protecting an invasive species? Because you love animals..... Bet most of these same individuals would jump at the chance to scream at Americanwhyte people to "gobackwheretheycamefrom" too.
Fascinating how I can say the above, but even removing/editing all the naughtynaughty words such as those previously mentioned from my original post still leads to censorship.
Basic rundown - unsurprising activist hypocrisy/myopia is unsurprising, it shouldn't be that hard to make a "thing" that's better able to select for grays while also being able to remotely let unintended animals go since we've seen successful efforts related to keeping rats out of various ecosystems, and I'd be curious to see data on martins effects on other species vs (rhymes with "grunters") for which has a more negative effect on off (rhymes with "narget") animals.
Revolution 2
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🦅🦅🦅🦅🦅RAH WTF is a kilometer
I would like to hear more on contraception for greys? Dues it only work on greys, not reds? Is it dangerous yo other animal species.. Why arent greys trapped for human consumption or at least pet food?
GonaCon is a wildlife contraceptive widely used especially in North America for controlling deer population but it also works for most mammals, and is used for squirrels too.
Quoting from the US Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service paper "The Use of GonaCon in Wildlife Damage Management" - USDA APHIS Wildlife Services (WS) has developed an immunocontraceptive vaccine called GonaCon, which includes the active ingredient GnRH conjugated to a mollusk-derived carrier protein, against endogenously produced GnRH.
When injected into a target animal, GonaCon induces the body to make antibodies against its own GnRH, causing infertility. GonaCon has been shown to be an effective tool in managing fertility in wild and feral mammal species.
What about the invasive humans? Should we be concerned?
European pine martian: "I mean....both the greys and reds are delicious so I'm glad to live in a place that has both of them living in the same area. More food for me."
This comment is to increase engagement
I'm sorry, but am I misinformed that Britain IS IN Europe?
In europe yes, but separated by a small channel, which for now stops greys moving. But massive links like shipping, ferries, and trains make their spread almost inevitable.
@@greeenjeeens I know. Later in the video he said "continental Europe" which is much more accurate
You could make the same argument for the Danish main Islands.
Politically we may not be in the EU but Geographically we are on the European continental plate.
What about invasive humans? Should we be concerned?
82 comments and yet how odd there's not one in defence of greys - maybe that's because you keep removing them? You've certainly removed all mine|!
i never remove comments, i enjoy hearing different opinions otherwise why would i ask for them in the video?
@@LeaveCurious and yet every comment in which i take issue with the 'fact' that grey squirrels are the cause of the demise and decline of red squirrels mysteriously gets removed! How odd! Humans are the number one reason as always but i won't waste my time trying to explain why as i will be censored
@@julesc1665 I can see your comments right now. It's much more likely that UA-cam is glitching, as it's been doing this thing a lot recently where it hides your own comments and replies (especially replies). Even I've had this issue in this comments section. Besides, there are other comments here echoing your thoughts too and even the the guy in this video seemed to hint that he's against any cruel culling of grey squirrels.
Its not a glitch!
UA-cam is censoring because of the attempt on T.R.U.M.P.
And yet the new modern woke opinion is that the decline of the Red is nothing to do with the Grey… we must accept anything and everything according to Gary Lineker 😂
What? Pretty much everyone of all political ideologies knows why red squirrels are declining, it's nothing to do with politics. And what does Gary Linekar have to do with anything? I don't think red squirrels are declining due to Match of the Day. I swear some people are just way too bored and love to throw around the word 'woke' everywhere without actually being able to state what it is.
This sounds like a dog whistle and @LeaveCurious I am astounded you have liked this!
You realise the OG poster is insinuating that we should accept immigrants as Lineker has said, but framed it as a negative. As if it was equivalent to letting red squirrels be offed by the grey? RIGHT?
@@SplatterInker I have no idea why he's liked such a ridiculous comment. I wanna give him the benefit of the doubt and assume it was an accident or it was so stupid that he found it funny. He's clearly intelligent, so it's very strange. UA-cam has also hidden my reply to this silly comment for some reason.
Edit: now it's saying there are only 2 replies when it should be 3! I'll give @LeaveCurious the benefit of the doubt, as I don't think he deleted it, but youtube clearly has a huge problem with this.
Erm is this a dog whistle?
Had to look that one up. You could argue that all UA-cam videos are aimed at a particular audience. It’s the nature of the game.
@@LeaveCurious brilliant video.
Perhaps look at why you're so suspicious?
If your mind went straight to 'dogwhistling' (a socio-political observation) then you're missing out on a whole world outside of political motivation for absolutely everything. That's just sad. Not everything is about left and right.
I don't see why it would be.
For what?? This is a widely-discussed issue in British wildlife conservation circles.
Full of nonsenses