Supplementary feeding can attract red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) to optimal environments

Publication date: Available online 9 May 2018Source: Mammalian BiologyAuthor(s): Anna Starkey, Javier delBarco-TrilloAbstractA number of conservation approaches are used to manage threatened species. However, some of these approaches require intensive planning and can often be restricted by funding. Supplementary feeding is a non-invasive and cost-effective approach to manage vulnerable populations, but we lack data on its usefulness. Here we investigated the effects of supplementary feeding on a population of red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris), a UK priority species which faces competition from the non-native grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). The study took place October-December 2015, lasting 8 weeks. Twenty feeders were installed 1 week prior to the beginning of the study in a protected woodland free from grey squirrels, either containing food (full feeders) or no food (empty feeders), and squirrel abundance before and after feeding was recorded at each feeder (for a total of 27 feeding and recording events). Six times more squirrels were seen at full feeders, and numbers increased by 7 fold after feeding. We also observed that the activity of red squirrels in the vicinity of full feeders increased during the course of the study. Eighty-five hair samples were collected during the study, all of which were found at full feeders. Results demonstrate red squirrels can differentiate between full and empty feeders, suggesting their awareness increases when supplementary food i...
Source: Mammalian Biology - Category: Biology Source Type: research