Isles of Scilly 2017

​This is the third post on this blog with photos from my annual trip to the Isles of Scilly. Another year and the introduced Red Squirrel population seems to be ever growing, as does their comfort with being in close proximity with humans. This year there were some individuals that were noticeably dashing around the Abbey Garden cafe. As I have previously discussed on this blog, the increased confidence (with regard to humans) of the animals found on the Isles of Scilly does mean it is easier to enjoy them up close as well as being easier to photograph them. However, this is a contentious view. When animal communities become too used to human contact there is always a danger of them becoming overly reliant on humans to the point where either they may endanger themselves or become what we would view as a ‘nuisance’. It may be difficult to compare the Red Squirrels to common species such as Feral Pigeons or Rats, but on this small island there is a chance that these beautiful creatures may turn into a not too dissimilar scavenging ‘pest’.