Rare Red Squirrels at the Yorkshire Arboretum as it plans to introduce small breeding group

A new project to introduce a small breeding group of native Red Squirrels Sciurus vulgaris opens at The Yorkshire Arboretum on Saturday 1 April 2023. Made possible by generous support from The Prince of Wales’s Charitable Fund it offers an opportunity to learn more about this increasingly rare native mammal.

The project will help boost Red Squirrel numbers in Britain by providing space for a new breeding
colony, whose offspring may be used for reintroduction projects. The three squirrels in the group
have come from participants in the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
Red Squirrel Studbook network, which aims to ensure a genetically diverse population in captivity.

Ben Paterson, Red Squirrel Officer at the Yorkshire Arboretum comments: “The Red Squirrels are
housed safely in an open-topped enclosure designed and built entirely by Yorkshire Arboretum
staff and volunteers. With a perimeter of steel panels with a non-grip coating and a 3m no-leap
zone all around, it is designed to keep Red Squirrels in and Grey Squirrels out. The fence circles
2500m 2 of ground, including a grove of oaks and other trees, in which the squirrels can live
naturally.”