Help us find the Formby Red Squirrel that has got some plastic around its neck

Unfortunately this is another example of how plastics threaten our wildlife. This beautiful Red Squirrel in Formby has got some plastic stuck around its neck. In order to remove it, the squirrel has to be caught.

A spokesperson from Merseyside and Lancashire Red Squirrel Project said: "The squirrel has been seen around the Lifeboat Road area in Formby. We are trying to catch it to see if we can remove the plastic. Please let us know if you have seen it. Report it to our Facebook page HERE."

Plastics are the talk of the country at the moment with everyone trying to reduce how much plastic they buy and use. A lot of this is because of the affect it has on our wildlife.

The real impact of plastic bag litter is felt on wildlife both in the marine environment and in rural areas. Tens of thousands of whales, birds, seals and turtles are killed every year from plastic bag litter in the marine environment as they often mistake plastic bags for food such as jellyfish. Plastic bags, once ingested, cannot be digested or passed by an animal so it stays in the gut. Plastic in an animal’s gut can prevent food digestion and can lead to a very slow and painful death.

As plastic bags can take up to 1,000 years to break down, once an animal dies and decays after ingesting plastic, the plastic is then freed back into the marine environment to carry on killing other wildlife.

If you see a grey squirrel or a sick red squirrel please report it to LWT by calling 07590745862.

To find out more, please visit: http://www.lancswt.org.uk/redsquirrels or

call on tel: 0151 920 3769