An End to the Grey Squirrel Menace?

 I was delighted to learn that grey 'squirrels' are to be unwittingly dosed with contraceptives in an effort to reduce their numbers. These pests have wrought havoc in Britain, seeing off their red cousins across most of the land and causing widespread destruction in woodlands – all the while presenting themselves to an adoring public as cute, lovable bushy-tailed rodents. Parks and gardens around here are swarming with them, to the great detriment of the songbird population (they eat eggs and kill nestlings, destroy nests, ruin nestboxes and steal the birds' food). They swarm around me whenever I walk through one of the local parks that they've taken over – no doubt expecting me to lob some monkey nuts their way, as most people do. I simply glare at them and mutter maledictions, but the shameless creatures take no notice. 
   The difference between red squirrels and the grey impostors can be neatly demonstrated by comparing Beatrix Potter's Squirrel Nutkin (red) and Timmy Tiptoes (grey). The tale of the former is lively, delightful, beautifully pictured and imagined, and Nutkin comes over as a Potter hero every bit as attractive as Tom Kitten or Peter Rabbit. The tale of Timmy Tiptoes is a tired and stilted effort, produced with no conviction, simply to bolster the author's American sales. Enough said. 
  My only reservation about the contraception project is that the grey squirrels might have done good work in sabotaging the government's insane tree-planting projects. Maybe they'll hang on long enough to finally make themselves useful.