More Good News for the Reds in Aberdeen
By Jill Dando News
Aberdeen is celebrating a conservation success as red squirrels make a strong comeback, with sightings across the city increasing — and grey squirrel numbers plummeting.
Only one grey squirrel has been caught in Aberdeen during the first half of 2025, a dramatic drop from six in 2024.
Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS), a project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, has been working since 2009 to remove the non-native greys, which threaten red squirrels through competition and disease.
Grey squirrels, first seen in Aberdeen in 1971, had nearly wiped out reds by 2009.
However, with support from Aberdeen City Council, volunteers and local residents, SSRS has reversed that trend.
The removal of greys has created safe spaces for red squirrels, the only native squirrel species in Scotland, to thrive once again.
“It's brilliant to see such a turnaround for red squirrels in recent decades,” said James Kennedy, Eradication Operations Lead for SSRS. “We now have 44 volunteers in Aberdeen, and local support has been key to the project’s success.”
Recent grey sightings in Kincorth and Rubislaw Den are being closely monitored, with SSRS responding quickly to protect red populations.
An Aberdeen City Council spokesperson added: “We’re proud to support this vital conservation work and will continue to plant native trees and raise awareness to help the red squirrel population flourish.”
If no breeding grey squirrels are recorded over a two-year period, Aberdeen could officially be declared grey squirrel-free.
SSRS is supported by the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration Fund, managed by NatureScot.
Residents are encouraged to report squirrel sightings via the SSRS Hub.
To find out more, visit the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels website.
If you have a positive story or uplifting news to share, we’d love to hear from you!
Just email us at news@goodnewspost.co.uk.
Whether it's a local hero, an act of kindness, or a personal win, your story could help spread joy and improve someone’s mental health. Let’s make the world a little brighter, one good news story at a time.
And don’t forget—you can sign up for free to get the latest feel-good stories straight to your inbox!
