LONDON, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- British researchers said the discovery that some red squirrels are immune to squirrelpox viral disease holds promise for the future of the species.
The Zoological Society of London has identified eight cases in which red squirrels living in the wild have survived infection with the squirrelpox virus.
"We were absolutely delighted to find signs of immunity in red squirrels after years of seeing the squirrelpox virus devastating populations throughout England and Wales," lead author Anthony Sainsbury said in a statement. "This finding is the first sign of hope in the long struggle to save the species from extinction in the U.K."
The findings are published in the journal Ecohealth.
The report said the red squirrel has declined dramatically in Britain since the appearance of North American gray squirrels at the end of the nineteenth century. Researchers said the decline has been attributed primarily to the susceptibility of red squirrels to the squirrelpox virus carried by gray squirrels.
