The Furry Invaders

This morning, as I walked into town along the path past the school at the rear of the château, I was literally enchanted to see, suddenly and all too briefly, a red squirrel right in front of me.  This is the first time in my life that I have ever seen one in the wild.  I am not sure whether I have ever seen one anywhere in the flesh.   He (or she) looked exactly like this.

 When we first arrived in Switzerland more than 15 years ago, HWMBO told me that he had read that there were no squirrels here at all.  In fact, I don't remember seeing any around in those years but I have not been able to find a source for his statement.  We have many squirrels around the house in Maryland, given our proximity to a protected habitat -- too many for some, in fact.  But those are all gray [grey] and they look like this.

The Eastern Gray squirrel, the species native to Maryland and the Eastern United States, is remarkably adaptable and is the most common squirrel found in most North American habitats, including some in Canada.  It was introduced from North America into other areas of the world, namely Ireland, Great Britain and Italy during the Victorian era.  There it has proven to be too adaptable for its own good.  It has largely driven the red squirrel native to Europe to endangered species status.  Many countries in the European Union are concerned with its spread, classify the Eastern gray as an invasive species, and believe that it poses a threat to European biodiversity.  Eastern grays were also introduced into South Africa and Australia.  They were extirpated altogether in Australia by 1973.

Given these concerns, the European Squirrel Initiative was founded in June 2002.  Its goal is "to create, develop and maintain a campaign to win the support and commitment of governments throughout Europe in securing the future of the red squirrel through the effective control of the grey squirrel."  The indictment of charges drawn up against the furry little creatures is impressive.  

"The grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) is the principal threat to the survival of the red squirrel in Britain.  The grey squirrel has already:

• Driven out the British red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris L) from all but a few "last outposts" on the mainland
• Caused irreparable damage to coniferous and broadleaved trees such as beech, oak, sycamore and Norway spruce.
• Degraded timber quality;
• Raided birds’ nests to prey on eggs and fledglings;
• Deprived native British wildlife of food both in the wild and in gardens;
• Damaged orchards and gardens;
• Damaged historic and ancient woodlands and forests;
• Invaded and caused damage to domestic and commercial premises;
• Gnawed through electrical cables; and
• Is now posing a serious threat to the great forests of northern Italy, France, Switzerland and Germany."

As if that isn't enough, the ESI asserts that grey squirrels carry the squirrelpox virus for which no vaccine is available.  This virus apparently kills red squirrels, but does not seem to have an effect on the grey squirrel hosts.

Having checked through various sources on the internet (what did we ever do without the internet?), I found studies that predict that the Eastern gray [grey] squirrel will appear in Switzerland from 2031-2041, with significant populations here in 2056-66.  The "worst case scenario" predictions are for them to appear significantly sooner.

If that is the case, the studies are already out of date and we are already in the worst case scenario.  I have seen gray squirrels in this area of Switzerland since I moved here in 2007.

But today is the first time that I have ever seen a red squirrel.   It was a privilege and a joy and I hope that I will see it or another like it again.  I hope that others will too.

Could it possibly be that the squirrels have found a way to co-exist with each other ... that the problem is not with the squirrels, but with us?