March 2015 saw an ITV Wales film crew spend the day at Henllys filming Dr. Craig Shuttleworth of the Red Squirrel Trust of Wales. Together with help from Henllys, the Red Squirrel Trust have reintroduced red squirrels to the south-east corner of Anglesey and on the 6pm ITV programme on 23rd March, Shuttleworth spoke about his important work with these beautiful creatures.
Red squirrels were once widespread on the island of Anglesey, thanks to an abundance of their preferred coniferous woodland habitat. The dramatic decrease of the red squirrels began in the 1980s and the hardier, non-native grey squirrels took over. However, thanks to the conservation project that started up in the 1990s, numbers have increased on the island from less than 40 to around 700. Craig Shuttleworth has been working hard to eradicate the grey squirrels on Anglesey and reintroduce the red. His work releasing the final kittens was covered by the BBC in 2013's Autumnwatch.
Anglesey was a perfect location for reintroduction with the Menai Strait acting as a natural barrier between the two species. Originally six red squirrels were introduced into the woodland surrounding Henllys. This habitat was ideal for them and there are now over 300 thriving happily in the surroundings. These elegant creatures can now be spotted in local gardens, parkland and woodlands. The reds have even begun to spread across to the other side of the water and are now colonising in the Gwynedd woodlands opposite.
This is a fantastic achievement and has made Henllys a prime spot to catch a glimpse of these elegant creatures. Feeding stations are located throughout the site and guests can take guided tours through the Henllys woodlands to see the squirrels darting around their natural habitat. Staff and visitors really enjoy seeing the animals and ITV Wales filmed Craig Shuttleworth and Henllys manager Maggie onsite. Shuttleworth spoke about his conservation project and took a group of guests on a special guided walk.
To learn how you can stay at this fantastic property, walk the woodland and see the squirrels for yourself, follow the link below.
