Conservationists turn to AI in battle to save red squirrels

An artificial intelligence (AI) tool which has been trained to tell the difference between grey and red squirrels could be “an absolute game changer”, conservationists say.

The system, called Squirrel Agent, has been trained on thousands of images of the animals allowing it to tell them apart with 97% accuracy, its developer says.

It can then be used to automatically control access to squirrel feeders – with only reds being allowed into those containing food, and only greys into those where food has been replaced with contraceptive paste.

“It’s a real showcase of what AI can do,” said Emma McClenaghan, co-founder of Genysys Engine, which developed the tool.

“It’s working in real time to do a task that we don’t have enough [human] volunteers to do.”

Squirrel Agent is currently being tested in sites around the UK in conjunction with five wildlife charities.

Genysys Engine hopes it will eventually be used much more widely not just with squirrels but with other species which would benefit from sophisticated digital monitoring.

Ian Glendinning, from Northern Red Squirrels – one of the conservation groups involved in the trial – told the BBC that, for the animals he is trying to protect, help from technology was urgently needed.

“We are in the bar of the last chance saloon, and the landlord has just called last orders,” he said.