It isn’t a political map. It’s a battle map of the British woodland.
Across most of England and Wales, the colour is grey. In a few small islands of red, something rarer is happening: the native red squirrel is still holding the line.
How we got here
Grey squirrels are not native to Britain. They were introduced from North America in the 1870s, and for the first few decades they spread slowly. Then they didn’t.
Larger and stronger than reds, greys outcompete them for food, and crucially they carry a virus that is harmless to greys but deadly to reds. Where the two species meet, the reds usually disappear within a few years.
The island fortresses
If you look closely at the map, the surviving red populations aren’t random. They are geographically defended.
- The Isle of Wight & Anglesey. Water acts as a moat, keeping the greys out.
- The Scottish Highlands. Reds thrive in the dense conifer forests, where greys struggle.
- Formby & Brownsea. Protected pockets of resistance, kept grey-free by active conservation.
It is a lopsided battle, greys outnumber reds by nearly 18 to 1. But thanks to conservation efforts, the line is holding.
The line is holding
This isn’t a recovery story. It’s a successful defence.
Decades of fencing, monitoring, and targeted conservation around red strongholds have kept the surviving population stable in its remaining range, even as greys press in everywhere else. The map looks unbalanced because it is unbalanced. The fact that any red remains at all is the achievement.
Have you seen one?
If you’ve spotted a wild red squirrel anywhere in the UK, tell us where on the original Reel. The map of confirmed sightings is being drawn in the comments.
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