These days you’re far more likely to see grey squirrels scurrying around British streets, gardens and woodlands than their red counterparts. But that hasn’t always been the case: red squirrels have inhabited these isles for over 10,000 years, whereas grey ones only came over in the 1800s. Nowadays red squirrels are much, much rarer.
But in a big moment for conservationists, four absolutely adorable red squirrels have just been born to two mothers, Holly and Hazel, and dad Erik the Red at Yorkshire Arboretum (fun fact: baby squirrels are known as kits).
A spokesperson said that the little ones have started taking their first trips outside of the nest box, the first venturing out in mid-June and the others following suit in late July. We don’t know their birth dates or genders yet, but we do know that they are goddamn gorgeous.
John Grimshaw, the Arboretum director, told the Times: ‘Apparently the breeding success in recent years has been rather low, so we are quite pleased to have contributed so far.’
He added: ‘Somebody told me at the beginning it was easier to get hold of a lion cub than a red squirrel,’ and Erik was the only male they could find.
Ben Paterson, red squirrel officer, said: ‘We really didn't know if they would [breed], so this is wonderful.’
‘The kits will eventually go on to other facilities, ensuring that there's a viable population of captive red squirrels to use in reintroduction projects in future.’
The red squirrel population has declined massively since grey squirrels were introduced to British soil by the Victorians. Greys are larger than red and tend to be more successful in finding food and territory.
The copper-coloured youngsters and their parents live in a 2,500-square-metre enclosure that opened to the public in April and is designed to keep grey squirrels out. They are part of a breeding network aiming to ensure that there is a genetically diverse population of the species in captivity.
Did you see that the UK is in the midst of a full-blown beaver boom?
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