“HAVE you seen a red squirrel in mid Wales lately?”

That’s the question that Wildlife Trust Red Squirrel Officer, Becky Hulme is asking; and reports of sightings are coming in – many from the Llanfair Clydogau and Llanddwei Brefi areas.

Becky said: “People love seeing red squirrels in Wales; this native mammal really does make an impact with its striking russet coat and graceful movements.

“Many of the older generation remember seeing reds on a regular basis; but that was back in the 1950s and early 60s before grey squirrels had really got a hold in mid Wales.”

Since the grey squirrel colonised, red squirrels have largely vanished from Wales. Until the late 1950s, the red squirrel was a common sight in mid Wales and an integral part of the Welsh landscape.

In 1958, a schoolteacher from Rhandirmwyn stated that a child had come into school with a report of a grey squirrel, one of the first in the area. It is now estimated that only a little over a thousand red squirrels are hanging on in Wales.

The Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project (MWRSP) with the help of funding, originally through Environment Wales, a former Welsh Government funded initiative, is now working to save the population of reds in mid Wales.See next week's south edition for the full story