Research finds that Oral contraceptives could reduce grey squirrels

Research finds that Oral contraceptives could reduce grey squirrels

Oral contraceptives could reduce grey squirrels as Research has shown that oral contraceptives for squirrels are effective, and the government hopes to utilize them to control squirrel populations in the UK.

Since being brought to the UK from North America in the 1870s, grey squirrels have become an invasive species. They are an issue for animals, notably red squirrels, who are in danger of extinction. Additionally, they are carriers of the disease called squirrelpox, which can kill reds but has no effect on them.

Before the damage they caused was realized and their release was prohibited in the 1930s, they were initially utilized as a decorative plant to beautify the gardens of grand mansions.

In addition to being a threat to trees, grey squirrels degrade them by removing their bark. They pose a particular issue for broadleaf species, such as oak, which are crucial to the ecology because they provide habitat for numerous other species. Around 3 million invasive rodents are thought to reside in the UK.

Also Read: 7 Research Tips for School Project

A trial of oral contraceptives, which could be used to prevent the creatures from reproducing, has yielded promising results, according to the UK Squirrel Accord, which has been working to reduce the grey population.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is manufacturing the contraception, and additional research is being done to assure its efficacy and safety.

Scientists created a customized feeding hopper to prevent other creatures from consuming the drug. More than 70% of the local populations of grey squirrels can access and eat from them thanks to a weighted door that keeps out the majority of other wildlife species.

In order to use contraceptives in places with both types of squirrels, Apha is testing several techniques to keep red squirrels away from the feeders. Research reveals that greys and reds can be distinguished based on body weight. At this point in the investigation, no oral contraceptives have been used in the field.

“The grey squirrel is an invasive species that is causing untold damage in the British countryside, where these pests continue to wreck our fledgling broadleaf trees like oak by stripping bark and disrupting the delicate balance of nature and biodiversity while reducing our ability to tackle climate change,” said environment minister Richard Benyon.

As a result, “we continue to support the UK Squirrel Accord and Apha since this critical oral contraceptive study offers encouraging indicators that could help remove the grey squirrel in the UK in a nonlethal fashion, as well as helping to recover our beloved red squirrel.”

Pine martens have also been released into specific woodlands to lower the grey squirrels population. Grey squirrels are scared away and eaten by these predators. While urban areas are strongholds for grey squirrels, shy martens would not settle there, necessitating the use of contraceptives and other control measures as long as grey squirrels from the city replenish woodlands.

The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs’ top scientific adviser, Gideon Henderson, stated: “Fertility control can be a useful strategy to support other approaches to wildlife management. This project aims to develop an immunocontraceptive that can be given orally to grey squirrels using a species-specific delivery method.

This cutting-edge study has tremendous potential to offer a successful, practical, and non-lethal way of managing grey squirrel numbers. It will conserve UK woodlands and boost biodiversity while assisting native red squirrels in repopulating their original habitats.