The Wildlife Ark Trust News
Sir John Scott becomes a patron of the Trust
We are delighted to announce that Sir John Scott has very kindly agreed to become a patron of the Wildlife Ark Trust.
Sir John, author and conservationist, is possibly best known as the co-presenter of the television programme “Clarissa and the Countryman”. Indeed it is the fact that Sir John is a true countryman that the Trust is so delighted to welcome him. Unlike many other so called experts he actually knows what works in the country – and what doesn’t.
His input to the Trust has already been invaluable.
Clarification of website comments
It has come to the attention of the Trust that a number of comments have been made on the squirrel board website that are misleading and we would like to take this opportunity to clarify them.
1/ All emails to the Trust are answered. On the odd occasion we may not like what is
in a particular email, especially when the “information” included in same is not
true, but a reply is sent out all the same. The fact that our reply may not be what the
original sender was looking for is beside the point. Nobody is waiting for a reply
from the Trust.
2/ The Vaccine Appeal is just that. All the money we have received from the Appeal
is solely directed to developing a squirrelpox vaccine not grey squirrel control. The
total raised is now over £300,000.
Having said that, we have and are supporting grey squirrel control from our general
funds. We hope to be able to increase our support of grey squirrel control in the
future. There is still a body of opinion that promotes the dangerous myth of red and
grey squirrels living happily together. For every example of reds hanging on in the
presence of grey squirrels there are thousands of examples where they have been
eliminated either through competition for food or as a result of being infected by
squirrelpox virus which is spread by the greys. The former is merely an exception
which proves the rule. Check out what is happening at the Formby Red Squirrel
Reserve at the moment and you will see the true picture.
The outcome is always the same – it is only the timing that is variable.
3/ To the best of our knowledge there has only been one grey squirrel death that has
been officially attributed to squirrelpox in the UK - and even this is debatable.
When a red squirrel contracts squirrelpox from a grey squirrel it is not the disease
itself that kills the red. The red squirrel develops horrendous, painful lesions
through which it can then contract secondary infections which may prove fatal.
Alternatively, blinded by the lesions and in terrible pain, it is unwilling, or unable,
to feed itself and starves to death.
We hope this clears up any misunderstanding that may have arisen as a result of
the aforementioned emails.
The Wildlife Ark Trust is delighted
with two recent developments The first
is that Sir Max Hastings, FRSL - journalist, author and broadcaster – has
kindly agreed to become a patron of the charity. Sir Max’s passion
for,
and knowledge of, the countryside means that the Trust now has another
ally who actually understands what really goes on in the country and what
is needed to address the problems facing our wildlife.
The second is that the well known and respected television wildlife
presenter, Chris Packham, has thrown his weight behind the Red Squirrel
Vaccine Appeal. Chris, a familiar face with millions of viewers from
programmes like ‘The Really Wild Show’ and ‘Nature’s
Calendar’ says, “If
you value our native wildlife you should support the Red Squirrel Vaccine
Appeal. Under ordinary circumstances concerned members of the public just
have to wait patiently, sometimes very patiently, for government agencies
or large NGOs to get their act together before any action is taken to
protect our countryside. On this rare occasion, however, the public can
immediately influence the outcome of this major conservation effort to
save England’s red squirrels.”
We believe the support of Sir Max Hastings and Chris Packham reflects a
growing unease in Britain with the way our countryside and wildlife are
being neglected.
