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Successful eradication of an invasive alien Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus Pallas 1779) population in the Netherlands with support of the local community

Unfortunately the abstract isn't available in English yet.
The Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) is an invasive alien species in several countries in Europe, but also in Argentina and Japan. The species is a threat to indigenous squirrel species and difficult to eradicate. In 2008 a population of this species was discovered in the south of the Netherlands, close to the Belgian border. The range and number of Pallas’s squirrels in the area was determined using sightings of local citizens, foresters and an extensive inventory with hair tubes and camera traps. The population was successfully eradicated during an eradication campaign with several stages from 2011 till 2015. The population appeared to be larger than expected. In total, 249 individuals were trapped in an area as large as 50 km2. Trapped squirrels were not killed, but sterilized and rehomed in animal parks across Europe. The eradication campaign was successful due to the cooperation and support of the general public, who were informed by flyers, lectures and several appeals in local media and on social media platforms. Both helped in getting support of the general public, but sterilization and rehoming must be properly supervised. The total costs of eradication summed up to at least €330,000. No Pallas’s squirrels were reported after October 2015, however sightings of ‘dark colored’ squirrels from the area are still reported by the general public and verified by an expert of the Dutch Mammal Society until today.

Details

Number of pages 7
Volume 11
Type A1: Web of Science-article
Category Research
Magazine Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
Language English
Bibtex

@misc{544ff586-57f8-4151-9f02-9a3ba94bdd27,
title = "Successful eradication of an invasive alien Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus Pallas 1779) population in the Netherlands with support of the local community",
abstract = "The Pallas’s squirrel (Callosciurus erythraeus) is an invasive alien species in several countries in Europe, but also in Argentina and Japan. The species is a threat to indigenous squirrel species and difficult to eradicate. In 2008 a population of this species was discovered in the south of the Netherlands, close to the Belgian border. The range and number of Pallas’s squirrels in the area was determined using sightings of local citizens, foresters and an extensive inventory with hair tubes and camera traps. The population was successfully eradicated during an eradication campaign with several stages from 2011 till 2015. The population appeared to be larger than expected. In total, 249 individuals were trapped in an area as large as 50 km2. Trapped squirrels were not killed, but sterilized and rehomed in animal parks across Europe. The eradication campaign was successful due to the cooperation and support of the general public, who were informed by flyers, lectures and several appeals in local media and on social media platforms. Both helped in getting support of the general public, but sterilization and rehoming must be properly supervised. The total costs of eradication summed up to at least €330,000. No Pallas’s squirrels were reported after October 2015, however sightings of ‘dark colored’ squirrels from the area are still reported by the general public and verified by an expert of the Dutch Mammal Society until today.",
author = "Maurice J. J. La Haye and René Janssen and Tim Adriaens and Frank Huysentruyt and Paul J. Voskamp and Wiebe Lammers and Vilmar Dijkstra",
year = "2023",
month = feb,
day = "07",
doi = "https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2023.1081138",
language = "English",
publisher = "Instituut voor Natuur- en Bosonderzoek",
address = "Belgium,
type = "Other"
}

Authors

Maurice J. J. La Haye
René Janssen
Tim Adriaens
Frank Huysentruyt
Paul J. Voskamp
Wiebe Lammers
Vilmar Dijkstra