The Jersey Biodiversity Centre is asking islanders to report any sightings of dead squirrels so that they can identify any ‘hotspots’ where roadkills are more frequent. The reports will help them decide where to place ‘tree bridges’ in order to prevent more from suffering the same fate.

Their new initiative comes amid a recent flurry of distressing experiences being shared on social media in which islanders recount finding the tiny creatures either injured or dead on the roads, particularly within the areas of Trinity and St. John. Some even reported seeing drivers hitting the creatures without trying to avoid them.

Sharing one such experience on ‘Jersey Ask! Advise! Advertise!’ – a local Facebook forum with over 10,000 members – one islander explained that she was upset to find that a driver had not stopped to pick up a squirrel they had hit and take them to the zoo for medical assistance, but had instead left it.

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Pictured: Islander Carlos Vieira said he had found eight squirrels dead in the lanes close to his home in the space of four weeks.

“He would have had a better chance of survival… By the time I found him and drove him there, he was taking his last breaths in my car,” she wrote, adding: “People need to realise these beautiful indigenous creatures are almost extinct in the UK due to the introduction of the larger more aggressive grey squirrel and we’re very lucky to have them here in Jersey…  Please take care when driving in areas where they are plentiful and if you should hit one accidentally, please be thoughtful enough to take them to your closest vet.”

Another islander, Carlos Vieira, explained that he had seen as many as eight dead squirrels in around just one month, posting a photo of one he had found in order to share the sad reality with other islanders and raise awareness of what can happen if they are not careful on the roads.

Dozens of islanders have shared comments urging others to slow down in country lanes, with one reading: “People are so callous. With the speed limits on Jersey how is it even possible to run over wildlife unless they jump into your path?”

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Pictured: A squirrel feating at Jersey Zoo. (Cheryl Martinez)

Another commenter provided some practical advice on how to be ready should the worst happen: “So sad people don’t care. Always have a blanket, towels and box in my car boot just in case I need to do any saving of wildlife, wish more people were the same, a life is a life,” one woman said.

Red squirrels have a special place in Jersey’s history, having been introduced in 1885. They then grew to be a thriving population in Jersey, while numbers in the UK declined after grey squirrels from North America, which are fierce competitors, successfully nabbed their homes and food, almost to the point of extinction.

Fortunately, grey squirrels were never introduced to Jersey, meaning that red squirrels‘ main threats in the island are habitat degradation, cats and cars.

The Jersey Biodiversity Centre has since stepped in to help alleviate the threat from the latter and preserve the island’s red squirrel population.

Sarah Maguire, Education and Outreach officer, said: “Recently there seems to be more people on social media saying they are spotting dead squirrels along roads and the Jersey Biodiversity Centre are concerned that there are specific hot spots in Jersey where this may be happening.

“We are asking the public to report their dead squirrel sightings using our website so we can see if there is a trend in the locations. Please write a note in the comments if your squirrel was found dead so we cancan distinguish between live and dead sightings.”

The information garnered from islanders will then be used by local charity Jersey Trees for Life, which is creating ‘squirrel bridges’ around the island in a bid to save more squirrels from the road. 

Report a sighting by clicking here.