The End Of My Red Squirrel?

I'm afraid it might be for this one.

Our excitement and delight in seeing a squirrel back in the garden after a few weeks absence soon turned to shock and sadness as I viewed it down my lens. It has a very bad eye (see extras if you want to know what to look out for in red squirrels with the pox virus.

I immediately sent photos to our local ranger who emailed back telling us to disinfect the feeding box and leave it without food in it for a month and tell our neighbours to do the same.

He is hopeful that our local colony can survive some losses. We are, naturally, upset to see one of "ours" ill.