Biodiversity Northern Ireland

Unicorn Containers Open the Door to Save the Red Squirrel

The Tollymore red squirrel group received an unexpected bonus in 2008 when Myrddin Ruddock, of Unicorn Containers and a supporter of biodiversity work in Mourne through the Natural Heritage Outreach programme, donated 100 red squirrel galvanised steel doors to the group.

These doors allow the red squirrels access to the feeders, are too small for grey squirrels to squeeze through. Without metal doors around the entrance holes of feeders, grey squirrels and rats will nibble away at the wood (and even through aluminium!) until the hole is big enough to fit through. 

Myrddin who works for NI metal workers Unicorn Containers, had seen the red squirrel feeders at the Tollymore red squirrel information day and offered to get some made up from scrap metal off-cuts from the plant. This small gesture by the company was met with undisguised delight by the group, who had previously only been able to get a very small number of doors produced a year at considerable cost.

In lunch times and coffee breaks, Myrddin has also taken the design of the group's feeders and put them into CAD so that they can be made available to anyone interested in building squirrel feeders in the area.

Mourne Heritage Trust and the Tollymore Red Squirrel Group would like to extend their thanks to Myrddin and all at Unicorn Containers who have made this possible, and look forward to welcoming interested members of the business to a special Red Squirrel event at Tollymore Forest Park later in the year.

Find out more about Unicorn Containers here
http://www.unicorn-containers.com/