Well, where do we all stand on Reds?

Yantorsen said:
but why is the survival of one species worth the killing of innocent animals who were brought here by us?????
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The survival of the indigenous population must take priority. Trapping and killing greys will have no effect on thier numbers I fear, it may hold them in check, but no more. I may be wrong on that score of course.
 
Yantorsen said:
but why is the survival of one species worth the killing of innocent animals who were brought here by us?????
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How do you feel about Myxymatosis. :shrug:
A human introduced microbe ( species) to control another species
would you like to see myxy wiped out to save the rabbits ?

or are you happy to let that introduced species control another
 
Cobra said:
I think the first introduction of the greys were somewhere around chester
in 1820. didn't take them too long to get around did it. The larger preditors can move a lot faster the Greys ;)



Are you based in the UK?
Are you a law abiding citizen?
its a little known fact that Grey squirrels have a "price on their heads "Landowners" now have a duty to control Greys just As they must control rabbits ( legal requirement)
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Town and country act Chris?
 
fracster said:
Town and country act Chris?
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Its something that "English nature" have whipped up
( DEFRA off shoot) for trying to control the greys
The pest act 1954 section 1 for the rabbits :thumbs:

Great discussion Ade but I really must leave it here for tonight :thumbs:
 
Cobra said:
How do you feel about Myxymatosis. :shrug:
A human introduced microbe ( species) to control another species
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Hmm, didn't know that.....:thinking:

S
 
Cobra said:
Its something that "English nature" have whipped up
( DEFRA off shoot) for trying to control the greys
The pest act 1954 section 1 for the rabbits :thumbs:

Great discussion Ade but I really must leave it here for tonight :thumbs:
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Catch up in a couple of weeks............:D

Have a good un.............:thumbs:
 
These discussions are only going to go one way, because the people who understand the issues are the ones who live with these species on a daily basis. Farmers hate foxes and grey squirrels for good reason, and whether we like it or not they'll give them two barrels on sight.

It's all too easy to take the 'Don't shoot that furry critter' stance when you don't have to live with the problem. What doesn't help matters is that the closest people come to the killing of the food they eat these days is that frozen shrink wrapped package they get from Morrison's on Saturday. We now have several generations of people who have never, and will never have to, kill and draw a chicken. We're all so bloody civilised, but the realism is that someone else is doing your killing for you by proxy.
 
CT said:
These discussions are only going to go one way, because the people who understand the issues are the ones who live with these species on a daily basis. Farmers hate foxes and grey squirrels for good reason, and whether we like it or not they'll give them two barrels on sight.

It's all too easy to take the 'Don't shoot that furry critter' stance when you don't have to live with the problem. What doesn't help matters is that the closest people come to the killing of the food they eat these days is that frozen shrink wrapped package they get from Morrison's on Saturday. We now have several generations of people who have never, and will never have to, kill and draw a chicken. We're all so bloody civilised, but the realism is that someone else is doing your killing for you by proxy.
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i've shot a few rabbits and killed a few chickens in my time.
 
Well, that's cool, but the fact is that as a whole, people are totally insulated from the whole process these days.
 
SteveJB said:
Hmm, didn't know that.....:thinking:

S
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OK Last post no really :D

Contagious, usually fatal, virus infection of rabbits which causes much suffering. It has been deliberately introduced in the UK and Australia since the 1950s to reduce the rabbit population.
fracster said:
Catch up in a couple of weeks............:D

Have a good un.............:thumbs:
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I should be around Monday for a Bit but cheers Mate :thumbs:

CT said:
We're all so bloody civilised, but the realism is that someone else is doing your killing for you by proxy.
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Never a truer word (or two) spoken CT :thumbs:
If people didn't want things killed I would be out of a job. As it is
I make a nice living clearing up things that others "don't want to know about"
 
LOL, when I say its cool, I'll qualify that by saying provided he emptied the bladder, gutted, skinned and ate them. Providing they weren't mixy ridden of course. :D

Wood Pigeons are another one. You need to see them moving across a field of freshly sown crops like ants, flocks of hundreds of them! :shrug:
 
Cobra said:
Defra is an interesting site Ade most of that is stored in my head though, for falling foul of the law
do you know what a "general licence" is?
if not it would be worth you searching the DEFRA site for it ( might even be on natural England)
Yep here is the linky
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We are licensed up to hell thanks Chris, i`ll bookmark the site for later reading though,cheers............:thumbs:
 
Yantorsen said:
duz that mean im qualified to continue what i was saying about putting squirels in death camps?
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No, because that has never been mentioned.......:)
 
Well on that happy note it seems there are at least 4 of us that know how to survive should the supermarkets and corner shops become extinct :thumbs:
I be thee all goodnight
 
Yantorsen said:
pretty sure it was. rounding them on, stickin them on trains and gassing them is what i heard. sickens me.
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Under the CWA there is no president set for gassing Squirrels
in fact you can only use warfarin at certain times if the year, out side and in hoppers.

You are only legaly allowed to gas rats, rabbits and moles ;)
 
Yantorsen said:
pretty sure it was. rounding them on, stickin them on trains and gassing them is what i heard. sickens me.
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Dangle your bait elsewhere my friend..........:D

And yeah, Chris, so far that be just the four of us................:lol::lol::lol:
 
Cobra said:
Under the CWA there is no president set for gassing Squirrels
in fact you can only use warfarin at certain times if the year, out side and in hoppers.

You are only legaly allowed to gas rats, rabbits and moles ;)
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lol, fine, shooting on site i heard, without a fair trial :eek:

even saddam got a trial :(
 
Cobra said:
Under the CWA there is no president set for gassing Squirrels
in fact you can only use warfarin at certain times if the year, out side and in hoppers.

You are only legaly allowed to gas rats, rabbits and moles ;)
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Cymag banned now Chris?

Ignore that and go to flop.
 
LOL. Pheasants are a good example of an introduced species - not native to these shores at all. They're thought to have been introduced by the Romans from India or China but no-one knows for sure.

Pheasants suffer badly in severe weather in fact 4 or five bad winters would see them all but extinct if it wasn't for shooting syndicates all over the country who rear and release fresh stocks every year, and incidentally plant ground cover to hold the pheasants which is beneficial to all sorts of wildlife.

Introduced species don't have to be disastrous, but the grey squirrel really was.:shrug:
 
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Mink was nearly as bad CT, if not as bad.
 
fracster said:
Mink was nearly as bad CT, if not as bad.
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Well Mink was misguided individuals releasing them from farms. I can't say I approve of fur farming, but that really wasn't the answer.
 
Indeed, fur farming was pretty unpleasant, but as you say, the answer was not to release them into the countryside where they had very few natural predators and a plethora of prey that was not adapted to protecting itself from them.

But we are digressing from squirrels. I hope a couple of woodland type people contribute to this discussion, it has been quite enjoyable thus far...........:thumbs:
 
Yantorsen said:
but don't worry its ok to kill animals for being the wrong colour :suspect:
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Sorry? Nobody has said that greys should be culled because of thier colour, that would just be plain daft now, wouldn`t it?
 
fracster said:
Sorry? Nobody has said that greys should be culled because of thier colour, that would just be plain daft now, wouldn`t it?
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agreed, but it was suggest earlier in the thread, and that is all im disagreeing too.
 
Yantorsen said:
agreed, but it was suggest earlier in the thread, and that is all im disagreeing too.
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I don`t recall that, let me have a read through...............


..............I think you may be confused about the red and grey thing, it is not about colour, it is about the difference in the species, maybe some of our posts did not spell that out.
 
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Yantorsen said:
It's evolution, survival of the fittest, we shouldn't go as far as trapping and killing greys, thats retarded.
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The problem was not caused by natural evolution though. The problem has been caused by man meddling with nature.

Now we have a problem that seems to be causing the death of our native Red Squirrel. Once extinct in this country I would doubt if like the Sea Eagle for instance ,if we could reintroduce in the future because the Grey Squirrel will still be around.

My guess would be that if the reds can get some sort of immunity resistance built in we should then concentrate on firstly keeping greys at bay in the red strongholds. Then if we can get some good breeding seasons so the native reds can increase we should be culling out greys in suitable habitat for reds. The scientists I believe have been working on a contraceptive for greys. Maybe science can help a bit more.

I also read that with the increase in Pine Marten in some areas they are having an effect on greys as they are easy to catch compared with reds
That would then be nature at work for evolution.:thinking:

I would like to take heart though that at least people are talking about the subject openly. We may none of us be right but I for one am firmly on the side of our native red & if they appear here where they have never been then they will be culled.
 
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