Reds vs Greys

Charles Windsor, the fookin dim Royal toff, and Owen Paterson, the fookin dim Tory Toff, hatched a plan to 'hunt' grey squirrels, in order to protect the reds.

Whilst this is a stupidly expensive plan (valued at £100 per hectare of land, another transfer from the public purse to the landowners, again), it is also an expensive stupid plan.

There is, of course, a better solution:

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Pine Martens. Reds are more nimble and lighter than Pine Martens, so can climb higher and to thinner branches than they. Greys in comparison are lumbering oafs, easy pickings. Ireland's pine marten population has massively pushed back the greys since they (PM's) became protected, and the reds are once again flourishing.

I am right, fore shore. Charles Windsor is wrong, fore shore.

Innoculate the greys against TB then train badgers to catch and eat them. Anyway I think it would be a hell of a struggle to get rid of the greys, they are too widespread, too cunning, good at hiding, you could reduce the numbers in areas but you'd have to keep it up. It does amuse me that no one stcks up for rats but stick a furry tail on one and then they are somehow special.
The pine marten looks like a good solution but I'm not sure if I'd be too keen on having them in my manor due to a flock of free range chickens. Since the otters have returned in numbers to the Tavy and Tamar the numbers of mink have nosedived, a bailiff I know says he saw a family of Otters hunt down and kill a pair of mink below Greystone bridge last year.
In other news I see the beavers have been given leave to stay in the Otter valley.

When I was still at school in the early 1950's......we where being offered a shilling a tail for grey squirrels.......obviously didn't work.