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7th February 2011
STRONG PUBLIC DEMAND FOR GREY SQUIRREL CONTROL
68% of the British public believe that grey squirrels should be controlled in some way in order to save Britain’s native red squirrel population, according to a recent survey commissioned by the European Squirrel Initiative. The survey also showed that over 74% of the public were aware that the grey squirrel is responsible for the decline in the population of the red squirrel.
The survey, conducted in January for ESI by NEMS Market Research, revealed that over 65% were in favour of the removal of all grey squirrels if a non-lethal method of control could be introduced, such as contraception.
“These are remarkable figures and showed high awareness and recognition of the threat posed by grey squirrels,” said Miles Barne, Chairman of the European Squirrel Imitative. “It is also encouraging to see that there is a real demand amongst the public to control the grey squirrel to protect our native red, “ he added.
The survey also indicated that in the 16-24 age group, 74.7% of those questioned were in favour of grey control, a figure higher than the national average.
It is good to see that amongst the younger respondents there is such a realisation of the problem and recognition that grey squirrel control is a most effective way of protecting the red squirrel, “commented Mr Barne.
The 1,000+ people questioned in this survey were taken from a random representative sample of the adult population in the UK.
