A Barbary ground squirrel in Lanzarote is grounds for an official alert. On Sep 3 the Cabildo de Lanzarote y La Graciosa asked the public to report any sighting, after one was captured in Playa Honda on Tuesday, Sep 1. It had arrived from Fuerteventura that same day as a stowaway, hidden in the bodywork of a rental car driven by a pair of tourists.

Why one animal matters

The Barbary ground squirrel (Atlantoxerus getulus) is Fuerteventura’s most visible invasive species, and its history explains the reaction. It reached the neighboring island in 1965, when a pair kept as pets was released; today the Cabildo estimates Fuerteventura’s population may run to a million animals. It feeds on vegetation and crops, competes with native wildlife and can carry public-health risks. Lanzarote has no established population, and the only way to keep it that way is to act before a single animal reaches open ground and breeds.

That is what happened in Playa Honda. A call from a member of the public brought in the San Bartolomé local police, the Cabildo’s environmental agents and the response team of RedEXOS, the Canary Islands’ early-warning network for invasive species, who caught the animal before it could get away. “What happened in Playa Honda shows that invasive species can arrive by accident and that any report from the public can be decisive,” environment councilor Samuel Martín said in Spanish.

What to do if you see one

The Cabildo asks three things: report it immediately, don’t try to catch or handle it, and don’t release it. The channels are 112, the local police of whichever municipality you’re in, the Cabildo’s environmental agents on 928 598 548, or the RedEXOS response team on 646 601 457.

For anyone island-hopping by car, the case carries a practical lesson: Fuerteventura’s squirrels shelter in gaps in a car’s bodywork. Before boarding the ferry to Lanzarote, a look under the vehicle and in the engine bay avoids a repeat. It’s one more of the habits our guide to sustainable tourism in Lanzarote describes: the island protects its wildlife and landscape with the help of the people who visit it.

More information

The Canary Islands government’s RedEXOS network centralizes invasive-species reports across the archipelago.

Published: Sep 12, 2026. Official sources: Cabildo de Lanzarote, RedEXOS – Gobierno de Canarias.