How can AI help save red squirrels?

A new AI tool is being used to protect red squirrels in the UK

Red squirrels are native to the UK, but their numbers have fallen drastically over the years.

The decline of the species has led experts to find ways to protect the animals and it looks like artificial intelligence (AI) may have an answer.

A new AI-powered system, called Squirrel Agent, has been trained on thousands of images of the animals. It's able to tell red and grey squirrels apart with 97% accuracy, its developer says.

Conservationists have called the new tool "an absolute game changer" and hope it'll help save the country's native red squirrel population.

How does the system work?

The tool can tell the difference between red and grey squirrels

The AI tool can be used to automatically control the access red and grey squirrels have to feeders connected to it.

Only red squirrels are allowed into feeders which contain food, while grey squirrels can only access ones where food has been replaced with a paste to stop them producing more of their species.

“It’s a real showcase of what AI can do,” said Emma McClenaghan who is the co-founder of Genysys Engine, who 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 partnership with five wildlife charities, and it's hoped it'll eventually be used much more widely, not just with squirrels but with other species that would benefit from this type of technology.

Why is it a big deal?

Red squirrel numbers in the UK are falling

Despite red squirrels being native to the UK, you're probably more likely to see grey squirrels when you're out and about.

Grey squirrels were introduced to the UK from North America in the 1800s, but they're a big reason why red squirrel numbers have seen such a significant drop.

They carry a virus, which they're immune to themselves, but if red squirrels are infected, it can even lead to their death.

“Red squirrels are hanging on in Scotland and Ireland, and there are some island populations like Anglesey and the Isle of Wight", explained Ian Glendinning from the conservation group Northern Red Squirrels.

"But mainland England and Wales is in dire straits, and they will become extinct if we are unable to reverse this trend."

Efforts to protect red squirrels are also more difficult because, despite their name, not all red squirrels are actually red.

There are other markers that can be used to identify them, including their tails, ears, size and weight. And now it seems AI tools like the Squirrel Agent can use these to quickly and accurately tell them apart from grey squirrels, even if they are the same colour.