Red Squirrels 'close to extinction' in England with only 15,000 left in country

England's red squirrel population is close to complete extinction, an animal welfare organisation has warned.

Save Our Reds has gathered more than 75,000 signatures on a petition demanding increased protection for the endangered species.

The campaign group estimates that just 15,000 red squirrels survive in England, with the animals now confined to pockets of Cumbria, Northumberland and the North Pennines.

Marie Carter-Robb, who founded the campaign, said: "The map is shocking. It makes the reality impossible to ignore."

She added: "This is not theoretical, without action we will lose our red squirrels."

The decline of Britain's native red squirrel is due to multiple factors, according to Natural England.

Grey squirrels, introduced to the UK from the United States and Canada beginning in 1876, carry the squirrelpox virus.

While grey squirrels are unaffected by the disease, it proves lethal to their red counterparts.

Save Our Reds has identified additional pressures contributing to the species' precarious situation, including the destruction of woodland habitats and insufficient enforcement of existing legal protections.

The organisation noted that although killing red squirrels remains illegal, the environments they depend upon continue to be destroyed.

Across the UK, between 120,000 and 160,000 red squirrels are thought to remain, with England's population representing only a fraction of this total.

Ms Carter-Robb has called for a unified national strategy to address the crisis, arguing that current conservation efforts remain too disjointed.

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She said: "We have a series of urgent actions that need to be brought together into one joined-up national plan."

The campaign is pushing for humane methods to control grey squirrel numbers, alongside significant investment in developing a squirrelpox vaccine.

Save Our Reds also wants funding for fertility control research and stronger measures to safeguard red squirrel habitats.

Ms Carter-Robb told the BBC: "We need Government, conservation bodies, landowners, scientists and campaigners around the same table. The tools exist or are being developed."

She stressed: "What is missing is coordination, funding and urgency."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs stated it is working to protect the endangered red squirrel by addressing the threat posed by non-native grey squirrels.

A Defra spokesman said: "Working alongside landowners and conservation partners, we are supporting promising research into fertility control so that we can manage grey squirrel populations and help our iconic red squirrels and native wildlife flourish."

Forestry England confirmed it actively monitors red squirrel populations in Cumbria and Northumberland while simultaneously managing grey squirrel numbers in these regions.

The agency said it manages woodland habitats to help red squirrels thrive and collaborates with partner organisations and volunteer groups as part of its conservation work.

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