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Squirrelpox in Dollar Became Scotland’s Northernmost Confirmed Case

Eurasian red squirrel in Scotland
Conservation: Threats · Research: Disease, parasites & microbiology

A Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) from Dollar in Clackmannanshire became the northernmost reported confirmed squirrelpox case in Scotland. The Veterinary Record report, published online on 31 July 2026, placed the case about 15 miles north of the previous confirmed record near Dunfermline in 2024.

The outbreak was first suspected in mid-June, when a remote camera recorded a red squirrel with thickened tissue growths and ulcer-like open sores around the eyes, together with skin changes on a forelimb. A second affected squirrel was later taken to the Scottish SPCA, euthanised on welfare grounds and submitted for postmortem examination. Histopathology — microscopic examination of the diseased tissue — showed changes consistent with poxviral skin inflammation, and qPCR, which detects and measures viral DNA, found a high squirrelpox-virus load in affected tissue.

Other red squirrels with similar lesions were reported in nearby areas, including Devilla Forest near Kincardine. These observations raised concern that the outbreak could be more widespread, but the authors describe them as unconfirmed reports: squirrelpox in red squirrels requires postmortem laboratory confirmation.

Grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) can carry squirrelpox without developing the severe disease seen in red squirrels. Local conservation staff considered spread by grey squirrels into the Dollar area a likely route, but the transmission route for the confirmed individual was not demonstrated. The authors called for increased reporting and postmortem surveillance, while local groups asked residents to remove wildlife feeders temporarily and intensified monitoring around the affected area.

Sources and image credit

  1. Wilson, L., Ewart, K. M., Logie, C., Sutherland, H., & Reid, L. (2026). Northerly spread of squirrelpox in red squirrels in Scotland. Veterinary Record, 199(3), 128–129.Primary veterinary report. Histopathology and qPCR confirmed squirrelpox in a red squirrel from Dollar, Clackmannanshire; the case was the northernmost reported confirmation in Scotland, about 15 miles beyond the previous 2024 record. Other nearby affected squirrels remained unconfirmed.
  2. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels. (2026, July 6). Deadly virus confirmed in red squirrel population.First-hand conservation update on the Dollar outbreak and local response, including temporary feeder removal, surveillance and grey-squirrel management.

Image: Charlie Marshall — wild Eurasian Red Squirrel in Scotland, 11 June 2023. Source: Wikimedia Commons / Flickr. CC BY 2.0. Representative healthy individual; not the squirrel from the Dollar outbreak. · CC BY 2.0 · Source

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