TO some, they are cute, cuddly animals whose acrobatic antics have amused generations of children in gardens and woodlands throughout Britain.
To others, North American grey squirrels are alien vermin which threaten to wipe out their native red cousins.
Now the Scottish Government has aligned itself firmly with the latter camp by endorsing the appointment of a grey squirrel exterminati
on squad.
Four new grey squirrel "control" officers are being dispatched to the Borders – at an annual cost of £140,000.
Their aim is to prevent the spread of a deadly squirrel virus carried by greys, but fatal only to reds, to the red's rural strongholds in Scotland.
A Government spokeswoman said: "Four additional Grey Squirrel Control Officers are to be employed in Forestry Commission woodlands in the south of Scotland, where grey squirrels are most prevalent. As well as displacing red squirrels, non-native invasive greys have also brought the potentially devastating squirrelpox virus to Scotland. Evidence suggests that grey squirrels carry a natural immunity to the virus whilst red squirrels do not."
The control officers' job will be to carry out a targeted culling programme by trapping and humanely killing the animals.
Employed by the Forestry Commission, they will join two other Scottish Natural Heritage control officers already in place.
Michael Russell, the SNP Minister for the Environment, said: "The red squirrel is an increasingly rare sight around much of Scotland but as an iconic species we must do everything we can to protect them."
Russell said he wanted private landowners to play their part in the initiative by co-operating with the squirrelpox surveillance programme.
They could also consider applying for funding from the Scotland Rural Development Programme to carry out their own local culls. "I want to see a joined-up approach to tackling this potentially devastating virus, with everyone playing a full and equal part," he added.
The move to step up the grey squirrel cull was attacked by animal rights activists who said there was no justification for killing one animal to save others.
"It is morally questionable to kill grey squirrels to save red squirrels," said Ross Minnett, spokesman for Advocates for Animals.
"We would also question whether these methods work, as if you remove grey squirrels from one area, others will simply move in and the cull has to go on and on. A better alternative would be to create habitats that favour red squirrels."
The Scottish Government is currently funding the Moredun Research Institute on a three-year contract to investigate the possibility of developing a vaccine to protect red squirrels.
The full article contains 434 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
