Campaign to save the red squirrel

A campaign to halt the spread of squirrelpox virus, a disease lethal to red squirrels, has been launched by the Wildlife Ark Trust, a leading conservation charity.Squirrelpox virus is carried by the grey squirrel, which is immune to it, but infects the red squirrel. Painful lesions develop and spread over the red squirrel, particularly around the eyes and nose. As the disease progresses, reds, crippled and unable to see to feed themselves, starve to death. It can take a red squirrel up to three weeks to die after becoming infected with the squirrelpox virus. Some also die from secondary