Where Red Squirrels Live Destination WILD
Transcript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:10 Although it's now April, the temperatures still
00:13 haven't climbed above 10 degrees,
00:15 and clouds hang heavy from Loch Owen to the Cairngorms.
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00:39 But in the great Caledonian pine forest of Abernethy,
00:42 there's change in the air.
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00:47 [MUSIC PLAYING]
00:57 It's a red squirrel.
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01:02 Although they've been displaced by gray squirrels
01:04 in most of Britain, they're thriving here
01:06 in the Caledonian forest.
01:09 There are 120,000 of them in Scotland, 75%
01:13 of the British population.
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01:21 The habitat here is ideal for them,
01:23 with abundant food and plenty of potential nest sites.
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01:40 With double-jointed ankles and small, sharp claws,
01:43 they can get up and down trees fast.
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01:54 Early spring is a busy time for red squirrels.
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02:02 Already pregnant with kittens, this female
02:05 is looking for a comfortable nest site away from predators.
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02:13 She'll either build a dray from twigs and leaves
02:17 or use an uninhabited tree hole.
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02:28 She'll need to keep searching.
02:30 But this female's territory is large.
02:33 She's got 17 acres of pine forest and river to search yet.
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