Forestry Commission Wales are working in partnership with the community regeneration company Menter Môn, and also the local community group Friends of the Anglesey Red Squirrels to safeguard the last remaining red squirrels on the island.
Currently there are two separate populations of red squirrels on Anglesey. The first of these is resident within the mixed pine and spruce stands of Mynydd Llwydiarth forest near the village of Pentraeth. Recent genetic research has shown that these animals are of a type not found anywhere else in the UK; although they appear closely related to the red squirrel populations found in Mid-Wales.
Red squirrels were close to extinction within Mynydd Llwydiarth in the late 1990s. The forest contained significant numbers of grey squirrels which were competing with the remaining red squirrels. However, once the grey squirrels were trapped and removed, the red squirrel population responded very positively, and by 2002, there were almost 100 adult red squirrels living in and around the forest. During the spring of 2001, red squirrels were found in broadleaved stands adjacent to the forest, and the young red squirrels were successfully reared there. During the autumn months it is not uncommon to see two or three red squirrels foraging for hazel nuts in the Wern y Wylan woodland on the eastern edge of Mynydd Llwydiarth.
Although the population is still relatively small, it remains the second single largest colony left in Wales. As a result, woodland management at Mynydd Llwydiarth is sympathetic to the requirements of the red squirrel and active steps are being taken by Forestry Commission Wales to ensure that the species will continue to thrive within the woodland.
The second red squirrel population on Anglesey can be found within the large coastal pine plantation at Newborough. Red squirrels actually became extinct here during the mid 1990s, but a successful campaign to eradicate grey squirrels created an opportunity to reintroduce the red squirrel. The reintroduction project is a joint enterprise between Forestry Commission Wales, Menter Môn and the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
In 2004 the first red squirrels were released into the forest, and by the end of the year, a total of 23 youngsters had been born within the Corsican pine stands. The reintroduction programme is still at a relatively early stage, but the results are encouraging, and it is anticipated that Newborough forest could be a future stronghold for the species.
The forest is already a popular recreational site for both local people and visitors to the island, and soon it could offer an opportunity to get a glimpse of one of the rarest animals in Wales.
