As I've posted here before, many in Britain are dismayed by how the native red squirrel has been forced out of its habitats by the North American grey squirrel.
Yesterday the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) condemned various government-funded efforts to cull grey squirrels as pointless and "ethically dubious."
I have to admit, the large-scale poisoning of grey squirrels does seem like an extreme measure. Perhaps it would be justified if it truly did bring the red squirrels back, but even then I have my doubts about mass killings of these animals. A source interviewed in the article linked to above, that up until the 1970s anyone could get a permit to kill the red squirrels, and that it's just become fashionable now to hate the greys and love the reds.
I really don't know what to think about this. I don't like killing any animals but I do understand the value of preserving native species. Any opinions out there?
This is a familiar debate, and it is founded on a false premise. Reds were in decline before greys were imported, due partly to deforestation during the Industrial Revolution as well as mass shooting. One reason for greys being imported was to give the gun-happy upper classes something to kill. Reds are almost exclusively arboreal, so until we have (again) the same forest biomass as much of Europe, they could not return even if greys were exterminated. It is true that greys are more aggressive, and can carry a virus to which the reds are not immune, but these pale into insignificance beside poor environment as a cause of decline.
The UK is always debating the culling of grey squirrels, badgers, hedgehogs and other creatures. Hopefully, the animal welfare advocates will prevail against those that want to to cull(kill) innocent creatures.