Red Squirrel Survival Trust Ambassador
I’m very pleased to be appointed as an ambassador for the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST).
I could never have imagined that my photography work with red squirrels in Sweden could lead me to becoming an ambassador for a charity. Through this role, my aim to create a series of conservation films, each focusing on a different topic on red squirrels. In the UK, red squirrels are threatened with extinction. Over a hundred years ago, grey squirrels were introduced to the UK. At the time, it was unknown that grey squirrels carried a virus deadly to red squirrels. This, alongside habitat loss and hunting led to the rapid decline of native red squirrels. Through my wildlife photography and videos, I want to share the story of the British red squirrel, from the issues of fragmented habitats and isolated populations to the conflict with the introduced grey squirrel.
My journey finding the British Red Squirrel
My first film in collaboration with the Red Squirrel Survival Trust took me to Eskdale in Cumbria. This was the first time I’d had the opportunity to observe red squirrels for an extended period of time and it was such a delight to photograph them in a UK woodland. This video introduced my journey finding British red squirrels and also a love for red squirrels. I met Peter Trimming and visited his woodland where he photographs red squirrels and manages the land for the benefit of the red squirrels.
Red Squirrels in the Scottish Highlands
My second film took me to the Scottish Highlands where I discovered the unique conservation story at Ben Shieldaig. This film focused on several themes including habitat fragmentation and rewilding. Red squirrels had become extinct from Ben Shieldaig a long time ago, but thanks to a collaborative conservation effort, red squirrels were translocated and released into the woodland and have successfully established and began dispersing further from the reintroduced location.
The Return of the Welsh Red Squirrel
I headed to Wales for my third film for the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. This film included various key sites including Anglesey island, Mid-Wales and the Welsh Mountain Zoo. I spent a several days on Anglesey where there were only 40 red squirrels and 3500 grey squirrels on the Island. Thanks to a hard working community, grey squirrel management and the release of reinforcement red squirrels, red squirrels have bounced back.
