People living in the Threlkeld area have been urged to put the feeding of red squirrels on hold for a couple of weeks to prevent the potential spread of a virus that is deadly to the mammals.
The Keswick Red Squirrel Group issued the directive on social media following health concerns over one or two of the animals north of the A66 which were suspected of carrying the squirrel pox.
In a post on Facebook this week, Lynne Roberts said that the situation had deteriorated over the past few days and added: “We ask for all feeding to be put on hold for at least two weeks, longer if possible, to give the remaining reds the best possible chance to move on and have the virus spread on feeders.”
She said that there is currently plenty of natural food about, but added that the virus can be spread in nature so this was not a perfect solution but is the one thing everyone can do.
“Regarding trapping a poorly red and taking it to the vet to be checked and euthanised,” she said. “I have personally done this three times but many people with greater experience believe this is not necessarily the best solution, it depends on the circumstances.”
