Geographical. (2023, November 27). Grey squirrel cull not necessary for biodiversity, says expert. Retrieved February 5, 2024, from https://geographical.co.uk/wildlife/grey-squirrel-cull-not-necessary-for-biodiversity 

 

Grey Squirrels, native to North America, have become invasive in the United Kingdom, displacing the native red squirrels from their native habitats. This is largely due to the grey squirrel’s ability to carry diseases that they are immune to that harm Red Squirrels, and strength and capabilities to out-compete red squirrels for food. These grey squirrels came to England in the 1870s by the Duke of Bedford who originally gifted and released grey squirrels in the United Kingdom. Since then their populations have grown very rapidly removing and pushing them away from areas of the United Kingdom like England. In the United Kingdom, where red squirrels are loved by many, people want to cull the grey squirrel populations so red squirrels can thrive. However, as opposed to the public’s main opinion, ecologist Nigel Dudley advocates that all animals including grey squirrels have the right to live in their natural environment, as long as they do not completely destroy a native species. This allows grey squirrels to not be culled since they only push the native red squirrels to other parts of the environment without destroying the population.

It is interesting how humans want grey squirrels to be culled in favor of keeping red squirrels in their natural range when red squirrels are still able to thrive, just in a different range. Grey squirrels also hardly affect the rest of the ecosystems they thrive in. Meanwhile, with species like cats in Hawaii which destroy other species’ populations and ruin biodiversity, people do not want to cull them and seem to want to protect them. This shows how just because a species is invasive does not mean it needs to be culled in all cases, especially since it is not the grey squirrel’s fault that it is invasive and therefore deserves to be killed. This shows that not all invasive species have to be run with one rule, as their effects on the environment can be at different levels of harm.