Dear Save Our Reds supporters,
A very important Welsh red squirrel petition to support promising squirrelpox vaccine research urgently needs another 8,000 signatures before 19 July to secure consideration for debate in the Senedd. It can be signed by anyone anywhere not just Wales.
And here's the remarkable thing. Save Our Reds now has more than 83,000 supporters. If fewer than one in ten of us take action, it could help secure a Senedd debate.
If fewer than 10% of us sign this petition, it could pass the 10,000-signature threshold needed for debate.
That's the power of people coming together for wildlife.
We've already shown what can happen when ordinary people unite behind a cause. Now we have an opportunity to help put red squirrel conservation directly onto the political agenda in Wales.
The petition can be signed by anyone in the world:
https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/246919
Why does this matter?
Because squirrelpox virus remains one of the greatest threats facing red squirrels.
Grey squirrels carry the virus and survive. For red squirrels, infection is almost always fatal.
This petition calls on the Welsh Government to support squirrelpox vaccine research and development, helping ensure that promising scientific work receives the backing needed to progress.
While there is currently no widely available squirrelpox vaccine for use in wild red squirrel populations, continued research and investment could play an important role in securing the future of this iconic native species.
Importantly, this fits closely with Save Our Reds' own Five Point Plan for red squirrel recovery:
Our strategy recognises that there is no single solution. We need stronger legal protections, better habitat safeguards, practical conservation measures, improved enforcement and long-term scientific solutions if red squirrels are to survive and recover.
The petition was launched by Dr Craig Shuttleworth, one of Britain's leading red squirrel conservationists and a recognised expert in red squirrel ecology and squirrelpox research.
Craig also supports the Save Our Reds campaign, and we are pleased to support this important initiative in return.
This is not a matter of it being someone else's campaign.
This is part of the wider effort to secure a future for red squirrels across Britain.
If fewer than one in ten Save Our Reds supporters signs, this petition could reach the threshold for debate.
That means we can make a real difference.
Please sign.
Please share.
And let's show what the red squirrel army can achieve when it works together.
Together, we can make a difference.
Thank you for standing with Britain's red squirrels.
Marie Carter-Robb
Founder, Save Our Reds
#SaveOurReds