AN APPEAL to help record the number of squirrels in Aberdeen has been launched today (fri).
People visiting or living in Aberdeen has been launched today are being asked to text in sightings as part of a bid to help wildlife experts get a better picture of the population size and distribution of red and grey squirrels.
Running for two weeks and encompassing Red Squirrel Week (1 – 9 October), ‘Text-A-Squirrel’ urges residents and visitors to report when and where they see squirrels in the city by sending a text message from their mobile phone.
The information they receive will help naturalists get a better idea of how red squirrels are faring in and around the city, which is possibly the red squirrels’ last urban stronghold.
Delighted
Dr Annabel Harrison, the North East Scotland Project Officer for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, said: “We were delighted by reports that some people have seen red squirrels right in the heart of Aberdeen city.
“We are keen to see if our recent conservation efforts, and this year’s breeding season, will see an increase in red squirrel sightings in areas where previously they were losing out to the expanding grey squirrel population.”
If you see a red or grey squirrel in Aberdeen between Saturday, October 1 and Saturday, October 15 please report your sighting by texting the word RED or GREY, followed by where it was spotted – which could simply be a postcode, park name, street name or six-figure OS grid reference, followed by your name – to 88802.
People outside of the city, and all across Scotland, are also being urged to report their red and grey squirrel sightings at any time of year to the project’s website.
