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Birth control for squirrels

Birth control for squirrels: “David Pescovitz:
The Scottish government is funding research on birth control for squirrels. They hope that immunocontraception will prove to be a safe and effective way to control the expanding population of grey squirrels that’s putting red squirrels at risk. From the Scotsman.com:

(A Scottish Executive spokesman) said scientists were experimenting with a ‘fertility control agent’ which had been used successfully in the US and was now being tried on a range of species, not just squirrels.

The squirrels are caught in humane traps before being given the contraceptive.

The spokesman said: ‘The materials are administered by injection, and recent formulations can render an animal sterile for a number of years with a single dose.’

He stressed there were a number of problems still to be overcome, one of which was to make sure the contraceptives were not ingested by other species.

Link (via Fortean Times)

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(Via Boing Boing.)