LEGAL STATUS OF THE GREY SQUIRREL

SHOOTING AND TRAPPINGS OF GREYS

LEGAL STATUS OF THE GREY SQUIRREL

Under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 9 & Grey Squirrels( Prohibition of Importation & Keeping) Order 1937, issued under the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932:

• It is an offence to keep greys in captivity ( Licence required from Defra).
• It is an offence to release them back into the wild.
• It is an offence to allow them to escape.
• It is an offence to transport a grey (Licence required from Defra)

Transportation of an injured or abandoned grey to a place of treatment is allowed. However the public should be aware that vets are legally obliged to uphold the law and realise that greys cannot be released back into the wild and that euthenasia is an acceptable form of treatment.

It is perhaps not unreasonable to suggest that licences issued by Defra were intended for research institutes investigating the virus carried by the greys, not for public display and monetary benefit.

 

 

 

 

Killing a grey by drowning or neck dislocation is considered inhumane.

 

 

It is perfectly legal for trapping to take place on your property or someone else`s property with their consent.

It is illegal under the Wildlife & Countryside Act of 1981 to use either a bow or cross bow.

It is felt in some quarters that shooting is not considered an effective means of controlling greys. However as we seem to have a negative attitude to such sports perhaps it should be seen as just another way of controlling them.

It should also be pointed out that the Police and the RSPCA would quite rightly take a dim view if it were known that someone shooting greys was having to take several shots to kill the animal.

The law relating to use of firearms must always be adhered to but individuals should not be put off just because other people find it distasteful.

Any greys trapped or shot may need to be disposed of by your Pest Control Officer or local vet, check with either. Depending on local circumstances blood samples may need to be taken for purposes of ascertaining if they have the virus.

If handling dead greys protective gloves should be worn to avoid infection.

 

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