Red Squirrels at Pensthorpe

Pensthorpe Nature Reserve, near Fakenham in north Norfolk, is opening two new red squirrel enclosures as part of its expanding captive breeding programme for the protected species.

Pensthorpe owners, Bill and Deb Jordan, will open the new enclosures at midday on Saturday 9th May and also announce the birth of four new kittens which are beginning to make their first forays out of their drey. Two new adult squirrels will then be released into the new enclosure by David Stapleford, co-founder of the East Anglian Red Squirrel Trust.

Deb Jordan said: “Our commitment to the red squirrel breeding programme goes back some seven years and during that time we have worked closely with the East Anglian Red Squirrel Trust to protect these wonderful animals and raise awareness through talks and adoption schemes. The new enclosures will enable Pensthorpe to take the programme to the next stage and, in the longer term, help increase red squirrel numbers in the UK.”

The new enclosures are linked via overhead runs and walkways to give the squirrels plenty of space to run and encourage natural behaviour. Two feeding stations have also been built where visitors can watch the squirrels being fed at pre-arranged times.

David Stapleford, from the East Anglian Red Squirrel Trust, said: “Pensthorpe’s support is vital in our quest to increase red squirrel numbers. The enclosures are currently home to a pair of squirrels and their four kittens, but the new enclosures mean that we will have more space to expand numbers and to isolate families before introducing them into the breeding programme here, and prior to sending them to suitable release sites such as Anglesey, in North Wales.”

The red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) used to be Britain’s only wild squirrel. It was once a common sight right across the country, but is now confined increasingly to offshore islands such as the Isle of Wight, Brownsea Island (in Poole Harbour) and Anglesey; as well as pine forests and plantations mostly in the north and in Scotland. This is because of releases of grey squirrels in the 19th century.

The grey squirrel is not only better adapted to broadleaved woodland, it is larger and more aggressive, and is a carrier of the squirrel pox virus forcing red squirrels to retreat further and further into coniferous woodlands (into which greys are now increasingly spreading), such that now their extinction in Britain is a real possibility.

Pensthorpe Nature Reserve is on the A1067, one mile from Fakenham. Open all year, April to December 10am to 5pm and January to March 10am to 4pm. Courtyard Café serving home-cooked food; Gift Shop with a large range of stylish and unusual items; free parking. Tel 01328 851465, www.pensthorpe.com