Squirrels at the Zoo

I have been volunteering at the local zoo since July, working mostly with monkeys. At the zoo is a good population of fox squirrels. Some of them are tame, but I haven't had any come to me for handouts yet. I have attached a video featuring one of these squirrels (and lazy tapirs).

Defending Squirrels Rationally

I want to start off by saying that I accidentally rejected some comments that were posted. There was one post about cooking squirrels that I was trying to delete, but I accidentally deleted all of the ones I selected thinking I was only deleting that one post. I apologize for the inconvenience.

Anyways, I wanted to talk about how I noticed that most of us squirrel enthusiasts are very compassionate people, but we tend to use emotions to defend our little friends. Emotions are part of what makes us human. However, I believe it is also possible to defend squirrels with logic and rationality, in addition to emotion.

When scientists study squirrels in the wild, they appreciate the roles squirrels play in the ecosystem. The more knowledge that is obtained about squirrels, the greater our appreciation of them becomes.

The squirrel haters claim that they have logical reasons to hate squirrels. They also claim that squirrel lovers "feel" too much. The main problem with their arguments is that they become cold and relentless with their reasoning, which robs them of their humanity. While it is okay to show emotions, and perhaps use only emotion, to care for small creatures. But adding sound reasoning skills will improve our ability to confront the squirrel haters who assume that all we do is feel and not think. I believe a good balance between logic and emotion is necessary.

Long Time, no Post

I haven't posted in quite some time. But that doesn't mean I lost interest in squirrels. I was just busy with other things. Squirrels do occasionally come to my feeder, but I haven't seen any in a while.

I have been spying (but not posting) on an anti-squirrel message board, and they are constantly bragging about their anti-squirrel criminal behavior. Some brag about how they love to kill during the breeding season when babies are vulnerable, and the same one was making false claims about death threats from "huggers" (that's us.) Another one has been reported by his neighbor to the police, alleging that the police reports against him are false. Some of them use a cruel device called a Tube Trap, which I have only recently learned exists. Being a squirrel enthusiast for over 12 years, you would think I would have known about such a trap. I believe it has been hidden from the public because of it's illegality, although some websites sell the trap. I will only post a link to the message board upon request, because it is quite disturbing.

Squirrels are Finally Here!

I finally got to attract some squirrel visitors to the measly little redbud tree in my backyard. At least one squirrel is eating on a corn cob squirrel feeder.

Earth Day

Well, I haven't been active lately; there just wasn't enough squirrels around. I managed to get some pictures of the trees I planted. Right now, they're too small to attract much wildlife. Hopefully they will quickly grow to a size that squirrels won't ignore. The last one is a redbud that was always there; I didn't plant it.

(The images might not be posted due to upload errors.)

Two more trees

Last week I bought two more trees: a Texas Ash and another Pecan. These trees are part of a project I'm working on in my backyard to create a backyard wildlife habitat. Unfortunately, I misplaced my camera, so I don't have any pictures at the moment.

First Anniversary

Yesterday marks the first anniversary of this blog. It also happens to be my birthday. No, nobody gave me this blog as a birthday present last year. It's just a coincidence that I happened to start it on my birthday.

Anyways, I noticed some more squirrel activity lately. They are getting ready for the spring breeding season.

Pecan Tree

A couple days ago, I bought a young pecan tree and planted it in my backyard. Hopefully someday it will produce succulent pecans for the squirrels. If not, at least I did my part in helping the environment by planting a tree.

Groundhog Day

Today is a special day for a special type of squirrel. Groundhogs (Marmota monax) are one of the largest members of the squirrel family. They're found mainly in the Eastern US and Canada. They are both loved and hated wherever they can be found. I prefer to love them.

Prairie dogs also get special recognition on this day. Groups who defend prairie dogs, such as RMAD, support these critters. Check out Prairie Dog Day. Prairie dogs need protection from evil people such as shooters or poisoners.

Feeding Efforts

Recently, I put squirrel corn cobs on my existing feeder in the backyard, and got a new spiral squirrel feeder designed for holding corn cobs. They are hanging on my redbud bush (which is growing), in hopes of attracting squirrels. They are still very rare visitors (once every several months) but hopefully my lack of tall trees won't dissuade them for much longer.

First Post of the Year...

First I'd like to thank all the wildlife rehabbers who raise baby squirrels. The season for babies is soon to begin.

For several months, I had been discouraged because I haven't seen a squirrel in courtyard at church since late spring. But finally, there was one drinking water from the icy fountain in the center.