The number of red squirrels has decreased dramatically in the UK in recent years, with only 160,000 estimated to be left in the area, compared to 2.5 million grey squirrels. The Scottish Wildlife Trust estimates around 75% of red squirrels to be in Scotland.

In a bid to keep this protected species safe and to avoid numbers dropping any further, road signs featuring a red triangle with an exclamation mark inside have popped up with the text underneath reading “Red squirrels for 1 mile”.

While the signs were first spotted three months ago in October, member of the Scottish Parliament, Dean Lockhart, took to Twitter to celebrate the appearance of the signs on Squirrel Appreciation Day (January 21st).

Dean Lockhart MSP, with one of the erected signs in Stirling

Lockhart wrote: “Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day and I am delighted that road signs warning motorists of the presence of red squirrels have begun to appear on Stirling’s rural roads.”

Speaking to Sign Link, Lockhart confirms that so far, three signs have been erected with a further eight under discussion between Stirling Council and a conservation officer.

He adds: “We are hopeful that at least some of these will be erected in the near future.”

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