At the end of the day nature really does know best
COUNTRY FILE
IT has been a while since we saw the red squirrels at Moore Hall.
There aren't even the usual signs of feeding to be found. We were concerned that the continued influx of people into their territory had driven them away. Certainly, having dogs on the loose does little to encourage such small, nervous creatures.
Yes, they know they can escape by clambering up the nearest tree. But would we want to live among monsters, even if we could run for safety at short notice?
Dogs allowed to roam free through what is supposed to be a nature reserve obviously doesn't work. We could happily moan about such things all day, but we have good news.
In a nearby woodland we found a baby squirrel, just about six inches in length. The little creature sat on an outcrop of wood about eight feet from the ground, just looking at what were probably the first human beings it had ever seen.
Its fur was the prettiest red. Eyes and ears were oversized, giving it a rather comical look. The little animal's tail was sparsely covered in deep brown hair, with the fleshy core quite exposed.
It sat so still I thought it must be sick, but when I moved forward to check things out it tried to climb the trunk of the tree in which it sat. After several attempts it found purchase with those sharp claws and was able to make progress. Hopefully it will survive and make its own contribution to our slowly increasing population of red squirrels.
In the year 1911, half a dozen grey squirrels were set free at Castle Forbes, Co. Longford, by enthusiastic individuals who thought they would make a charming addition to the local fauna. What they didn't know was that these North American animals carried a disease, squirrel pox, that, while quite harmless to themselves, was fatal to the native red squirrels.
The greys liked their new home. They quickly reproduced and spread into neighbouring woodland, infecting and eliminating all the reds with which they came into contact.
Not long ago, to the east of the Shannon, red squirrels inhabited only isolated pockets of woodland. Such was the impact of the interlopers that concern was expressed over the very survival of the native red.
Another native animal had been severely persecuted, almost to the point of extinction. This was the pine marten, a highly efficient predator of small mammals and birds.
About the turn of the last century the pine marten enjoyed a resurgence in numbers. Now it is quite possible to go out in search of them with a reasonable expectation of success.
Pine martens eat both types of squirrel - provided they are able to catch them, of course.
As the grey squirrels spend more of their time feeding out in the open, they are more visible and vulnerable than the reds. The grey squirrel is also less agile, and once the marten locks onto one of these it is pretty much game over.
Red squirrels have co-existed with pine martens for thousands of years. While we have some kind of balance here in the west, it might be a few years yet before their proper relationship is restored throughout the country.
Doesn't it show us that nature knows best? When we interfere with the natural order of things, even with the best of motives, the results are seldom what we would like. New EU nature restoration laws aim to minimise human impact on our environment. Let us see.