King sees hope for reds in grey squirrel contraceptive research

King Charles has been briefed on the latest advances in grey squirrel contraceptive research during a visit to the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s Biotech Campus in York on 25 May.

Scientists showed the monarch how hazelnut paste laced with contraceptives is delivered to grey squirrels via weighted hoppers engineered to exclude lighter species, including red squirrels. He also viewed ongoing work to develop a trap capable of catching greys without taking reds or other wildlife.

Dr Julie Lane, head of the National Wildlife Management Centre at APHA, told the King his decades of advocacy had been instrumental to the programme. “Without you, this work would not be happening at all,” she said.

Speaking after the visit, Dr Lane said combining contraceptive methods with traditional control measures produces far better results in reducing grey squirrel numbers than either approach alone — and described greys as the country’s greatest current threat to biodiversity, pointing to the widespread damage they inflict on trees. “It’s not just about bringing the red squirrels back — it’s the whole of nature that the grey squirrels affect,” she said.

APHA is working with the Roslin Institute and MV Diagnostics to extend the potency and duration of the immunocontraceptive vaccine ahead of deployment in the wild.

The King, patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, has championed red squirrel conservation for many years. Agency staff reported he was “very interested” in the contraceptive delivery system.