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Politics

Local Life - Communities around Europe: Episode 5

04:39

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Fabian ChristAugust 18, 2011

The residents of Cushendall in Northern Ireland are united against a common enemy: the grey squirrel. The North American rodents are threatening the native population of red squirrels. They are larger and tougher than their red cousins; they eat their food and can carry a pox virus that is fatal to red squirrels. Efforts are underway across the country to preserve the red squirrels, that are now in a clear minority. But those efforts are surely nowhere as dedicated as in Cushendall, where half the village is out setting traps or pursuing the grey squirrels with rifles.

The residents of Cushendall in Northern Ireland are united against a common enemy: the grey squirrel. The North American rodents are threatening the native population of red squirrels. They are larger and tougher than their red cousins; they eat their food and can carry a pox virus that is fatal to red squirrels. Efforts are underway across the country to preserve the red squirrels, that are now in a clear minority. But those efforts are surely nowhere as dedicated as in Cushendall, where half the village is out setting traps or pursuing the grey squirrels with rifles.
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