Red Squirrel Encounter at Escot - Escot - The natural place for a great day out in Devon

Red Squirrel Encounter at Escot

 

Escot Park has created an exciting open access red squirrel encounter in the heart of the 1100 acre estate near Ottery St. Mary. 

The encounter, which was completed to schedule at the end of July 2011, features a walk-through open air enclosure with a 100m board walk, allowing visitors to wander through the trees and see the squirrels at close quarters. Red squirrels have been supplied by the British Wildlife Centre near Lingfield inSurreyfrom their own surplus breeding stock. In turn this will ensure that they have remote stock to call on in case of unforeseen losses. The British Wildlife Centre is home to the country's first walk-through red squirrel enclosure which provided the inspiration for the project. The Centre was also a valuable source of expertise during the creation of the enclosure at Escot. 

The project itself is part of a larger ambition of the Red Squirrel Project South West (RSSW) initiative to eventually return reds to the wild in the South West. This is not currently possible as the abundant grey squirrel carries a virus deadly to reds but to which greys are immune.

Whilst the walk-through encounter acts as the public face of the project, it is not the whole story. Behind the scenes a breeding programme is being planned to increase numbers, not only for this project but for dispersal to similar projects around the country. 

Educating the public as to the plight of this iconic native mammal is a top priority of the project. An essential part of this education is allowing the public the opportunity to really get to know this rarely encountered and often misunderstood creature. So just how much do you know about red squirrels? Red squirrels are often associated with hazelnuts but their diet is amazingly diverse, including seeds and nuts, as one would expect, but they will also dine on lichen, flowers, caterpillars and even small vertebrates. Red squirrels build two dreys (nests) per year, one for summer and one for winter. Like us, red squirrels can be left or right handed. Then there is the matter of hibernation, except that red squirrels don't hibernate!

As well as having the opportunity to learn through observation, Escot has donated space in a large barn adjacent to the enclosure which has been converted for use as a classroom and interpretation centre. Escot's expert team includes two full time Nature Rangers who are responsible for keeping visitors up-to-date with the squirrels' progress through daily talks which are held in the enclosure at midday.

The project was supported by a 50% grant from Making it Local, a locally managed grants scheme in the Blackdown Hills and East Devon AONB areas, incorporating funding from the EU, Defra, South West RDA and Leader.

For more information on Escot’s squirrels please email rangers@escot-devon.co.uk or call 01404 822188.

More information regarding red squirrel conservation is available at www.britishredsquirrel.org