The Wildlife Ark Trust is a wildlife conservation charity. It was established in the 1990s, became a charity in 2000 and was incorporated in 2008.
About
Image courtesy of Sarah McNeill
It is the only organisation that has tried to develop a vaccine to protect the red squirrels from the greatest threat to their survival, the squirrelpox virus (SQPV), which is carried by grey squirrels. The red squirrels die out up to 25 times quicker when the virus is present compared to competition for resources alone.
Image courtesy of Sarah McNeill
Image courtesy of Sarah McNeill
In 2007 the Trust started to raise £325,000 to fund the development of a squirrelpox vaccine.
Interest on this money also allowed the Trust to fund research which confirmed the DNA genomic structure of the virus.
The vaccine research started in 2009 and in 2012 it was announced that an effective vaccine candidate had been discovered. Although the vaccine needed to be attenuated (modified), the Trust and its research was praised by governments across Europe. (See International Accolades)
The Trust has already done more to address the squirrelpox virus disaster than any other organisation or government department. It is now looking to re-start its vaccine research as part of its multi-pronged Rescue Programme which is vital if the now critically endangered red squirrels are to be saved.