September 22, 2020 - 1045 views
The Welsh Mountain Zoo – National Zoo of Wales, has announced the very welcome arrival of five new red squirrel baby’s during this year’s official Red Squirrel Awareness Week.
The Zoo has been involved in the conservation and breeding of red squirrels for many years and, alongside the Red Squirrel Trust Wales, has released a number of captive squirrels to support the ongoing reintroduction of the species across North East and North West Wales.
During the past 30 years, the Zoo has bred dozens of red squirrels with five born this season from two sets of breeding pairs. The Zoo continues to work closely with Clocaenig Red Squirrel trust, an organisation that is committed to the protection and conservation of red squirrels in Clocaenog Forest, North Wales.
Red Squirrel Awareness Week takes place from 21stSeptember – 27thSeptember aims to drive awareness of the species and the threats that they face in the wild.
Jenn Quinlan, UK Species Monitor for Captive Breeding Programme commented: “It's always wonderful to welcome new babies to the Zoo and these are no exception! The breeding of red squirrels forms an important part of the ongoing conservation work we are carrying out with various partners to ensure that they continue to build and recover numbers and thrive in the wild.
“Awareness days and weeks such as this are important and ensure that the vital messages around preservation and conservation remain in the public eye.”
