Navy Escort for Red Squirrels

The British Wildlife Centre (BWC) near Lingfield in Surrey has enjoyed another baby boom for one of Britain's most vulnerable species, the iconic and much-loved red squirrel. Such is the success of its breeding programme the BWC is able to supply red squirrels to other centres, helping to establish more colonies around the UK.

A group of twenty of the Centre's red squirrels recently travelled in style to the Isles of Scilly, thanks to the Royal Navy. As part of their routine training exercises, the Navy kindly flew this precious cargo by search and rescue helicopter from RNAS Culdrose in Cornwall over the water to Tresco, Scilly's second largest island. Here the squirrels will enjoy a free-ranging life in the woodland of the beautiful Abbey Gardens.

British Wildlife Centre Owner, David Mills said: "This is such an exciting initiative in red squirrel conservation. The island environment is ideal, providing a safe haven, free from the American grey squirrel, which is an aggressive competitor for food and can carry the deadly squirrel pox virus, to which reds are so susceptible. The garden's visitors are in for a real treat."

But for those of us that live on the mainland the British Wildlife Centre is the very best place to see red squirrels. It is home to Britain's first walk-through red squirrel experience, where visitors can stroll in a wooded copse and view these beautiful and increasingly rare creatures close at hand.