This New Suspension Bridge Keeps Red Squirrels Safe in the Highlands

The population of red squirrels in Britain has diminished over the last decades. The threatened species native to Britain has had to contend with deforestation and the dominance of their bitter rivals, the grey squirrels.

However, for a population of Highland red squirrels, crossing the street has become less of a worry.

The conservation charity, Trees for Life, installed a specifically designed rope bridge between the tree canopy above the A896 near the village of Shieldaig, Scotland in the northwest Highlands.

The organization constructed the bridge and placed road signs to alert drivers of animal crossings with the hopes of redeeming the red squirrel population in the surrounding woodlands.

Trees for Life’s Wildlife Officer, Becky Priestley explained, “Sadly, road traffic is a major risk for wildlife – including red squirrels. We wanted to take positive action to help the red squirrel population spread into the local woodlands as safely as possible. The combination of bridge and road signs definitely appears to be working well, which is great news.”

According to the People's Trust for Endangered Species, an estimated one million mammals die on roads in the United Kingdom alone. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels reported that three percent of red squirrel sightings are dead on the road, with the figure potentially far higher.

Prior to conservation efforts, at least five red squirrels perished within a year trying to cross the street. Since the bridge and signs went up, there has only been one known red squirrel death on the road, and this year has not had any reported fatalities.

“It’s safer for reds to travel in the tree canopy rather than on the ground, so it’s likely that if they have the option of using a bridge rather than crossing the road, they will take it. We also installed feeders at each end of the bridge to encourage the squirrels to use it,” Priestly continued.

A camera trap in place for more than a year captured the small mammals exploring the woodlands, breeding, and spreading into new territory. Their population continues to flourish as two new litters of red squirrels have appeared near the release site.

Today, only an estimated 120,000 red squirrels remain in Britain, with about 75 percent of them residing in the woodlands, parks, and gardens of Scotland. Their population began to decline steadily because of deforestation and the introduction of North American grey squirrels to the United Kingdom in the 1800s. The dominant greys outcompete reds for their territory and brought with them the squirrel pox virus, a disease which they have immunity to but kills the red species.

Altogether, the Trees for Life project has successfully reintroduced 140 red squirrels back into their habitat including in Shieldaig. The Tree of Life foundation continues to raise money to reintroduce even more red squirrels in at least eight woodlands in the northwest Highlands. The funding will also go towards protecting the reds from competition and disease of the grey squirrels.

Trees for Life works to restore natural forests and rare wildlife in the wilderness region in the Scottish Highlands, including their 10,000 acre Dundreggan Conservation Estate. Their organization, along with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels and UK Red Squirrel Group provide vital support for red squirrel conservation in the United Kingdom.

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