The beautiful, yet elusive native red squirrel is a delight to see but sadly sightings in the wild are rare and declining. Red squirrels are fighting for their survival, and they desperately need our help.

The UK’s native red squirrels are under threat of extinction. They are classed as an endangered native species with less than 130,000 animals today. Without urgent sustainable action, they are at risk of disappearing from the British woodland landscape altogether within a decade.

South Lakes Red Squirrel Group (SLRSG) is a small group of local volunteers who are passionate about red squirrel conservation and are working to establish populations of red squirrels in South Cumbria and the Lake District.

The major threat to the native red squirrel unfortunately, is from the non-native American grey squirrel. Grey squirrels carry the squirrel pox virus which does not harm them but is fatal to all red squirrels, as well as outcompeting red squirrels for habitat and food. Grey squirrel numbers have increased from an initial 18 pairs in 1860’s to over 3 million today.

SLRSG members engage with our local community and landowners increasing awareness of the plight of the red squirrel. Our rangers monitor for the presence of red and grey squirrels and work to protect the red squirrels.

Conservation efforts do work, our group has made a notable difference. Last year we had the first confirmed sightings of red squirrels in the Duddon Valley and on the Furness peninsula in over 40 years. However, we are just one squirrel pox outbreak away from losing these new populations of red squirrels.

Our small team of rangers are entirely voluntary and mostly self-funding in the purchase of their equipment such as feeders, cameras, insurance, travel costs, etc.

Please donate to our crowd funding efforts to help red squirrel populations.

We appreciate any contribution you can make. Every feeder, camera, wildlife monitor, nest box we set up and everything our rangers do in their work helps protect red squirrels.

Thank you very much!