Using pine martens to save red squirrels?
- Thread starter Triggermortis
- Start date
I'll watch the report in full but one has to ask what these PM's will chomp on once the grey squirrel larder has been emptied if they are not immediately rounded up (trapped) and relocated?
K
K
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Watched it all,great story.
John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
Tree-kangaroo - Wikipedia
I think at the start of that vid, it stated grey squirrels formed 14% of the Pine Martens diet. I'll bet anything, birds, especially nestlings, and pretty much anything else, will fill the other 86%, including the reds if not the adults, the young will be taken.
countrryboy
Well-Known Member
I gave up after film stated they leave reds untouched.
Which is simply not true.
It's the usually waffle those conservation groups trot out as it suits their narratives
Introducing an extra predator and means they don't need to run trap lines themselves.
The original studies mainly found where PM exist so do Reds and they've said PMs are the reason.
2 +2=5.
No doubt PM will eat far more greys than Reds due to the fact reds are smaller, niblier, spend far more time in trees compered to grey and the fact reds and PM evolved together also.
Plus greys tend to live in far higher densities sometimes 6x the density.
I would say all the original studies show is PM are a good indicator species for Reds and vice versa, which is not surprising as they evolved together.
PM are spread far wider than most know, but the classic PM strongholds where studies were done will never have had any greys to compare.
If greys are only 14% of their diet, which will no doubt decrease as grey squirrel numbers do.
How many greys are they actually catching?
1 a week per PM???
Must admit not sure wot 14% = in grey squirrels daily/weekly.
But they're going to need a hell of a PM to make a dent in numbers.
Only way I can see us reducing numbers is bringing back poison or possibly those multi kill NZ traps that work of air capsules.
Althou they do say the anti reproduction pill may work in future.
Which is simply not true.
It's the usually waffle those conservation groups trot out as it suits their narratives
Introducing an extra predator and means they don't need to run trap lines themselves.
The original studies mainly found where PM exist so do Reds and they've said PMs are the reason.
2 +2=5.
No doubt PM will eat far more greys than Reds due to the fact reds are smaller, niblier, spend far more time in trees compered to grey and the fact reds and PM evolved together also.
Plus greys tend to live in far higher densities sometimes 6x the density.
I would say all the original studies show is PM are a good indicator species for Reds and vice versa, which is not surprising as they evolved together.
PM are spread far wider than most know, but the classic PM strongholds where studies were done will never have had any greys to compare.
If greys are only 14% of their diet, which will no doubt decrease as grey squirrel numbers do.
How many greys are they actually catching?
1 a week per PM???
Must admit not sure wot 14% = in grey squirrels daily/weekly.
But they're going to need a hell of a PM to make a dent in numbers.
Only way I can see us reducing numbers is bringing back poison or possibly those multi kill NZ traps that work of air capsules.
Althou they do say the anti reproduction pill may work in future.
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