The importance of the Trust’s vaccine research has been endorsed internationally.
International Accolades
Image courtesy of Sarah McNeill
Germany’s Federal Environment Agency which believes that “The expansion of the squirrelpox virus constitutes a dangerous threat to European red squirrel populations. Your intensive commitment to developing a suitable vaccine against this virus is very welcome!”,
Denmark’s Nature Agency which stated that “the development of a squirrel pox vaccine is an important tool in (the) management of squirrels if the virus should spread in other parts of Europe”,
Norway‘s Ministry of the environment which congratulated the Wildlife Ark Trust on “the discovery of a candidate for an effective squirrelpox virus vaccine”
Austria‘s Federal Ministry of Health which wrote “On behalf of our President we … lend our moral support to the work of generating an effective vaccine to fight the squirrelpox virus. We hope that this vital research will result in an effective product to stop possible extinction of this species (red squirrels)”,
Estonia‘s Ministry of the Environment which commends “your organisation on your work with the squirrelpox vaccine and give our moral support to this vital cause”,
Spain‘s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment which “highly values the current work, and future plans, of the Wildlife Ark Trust for the conservation of the red squirrel”,
The Netherlands’ Director of Nature and Biodiversity wrote “I am in no doubt that it is extremely important to find an effective vaccine to protect the red squirrels against SQPV. I therefore wish you every success in your continuing research”,
Ireland‘s National Park and Wildlife Service whose Head of Animal Ecology, Dr Ferdia Marnell, stated, “The development of an effective, targeted vaccine that could help protect wild red squirrel populations would be a significant step forward in red squirrel conservation and I commend the work of the Wildlife Ark Trust in this regard.”
Dr Craig Shuttleworth, of the Red Squirrel Trust Wales, is considered by many to be the preeminent red squirrel expert in the UK and he has gone on record as saying, “Of all the current conservation initiatives, I consider the squirrelpox vaccine research the one most likely to prove to be the saviour of the red squirrels.”