Squirrels

Squirrels are very industrious, curious, cute, and funny. Sometimes they would stop and look straight at me as if to pose for the camera. These little animals have very smart and inquisitive gaze. Other times they will scoot away as fast as they can and will quickly disappear to the top of the tallest tree with an amazing ease. In the Fall, it is easier to see their little nests through the lacy maze of the leafless branches.

Some call these forest critters "tree rats;" to others they are pests ruining their property. At times people express genuine hatred at the mention of a squirrel. I heard of a man who has a hobby to kill them and he is keeping score that exceeds a 100 already. Then why do we choose to live on the streets lined up with trees and why we establish new developments in the areas close to the forests and parks?

There were few cases in my life when I won some people over to the side of those who like squirrels, or at least tolerate them now and do not get all worked up over their presence near by.

To me squirrels are those funny characters described in folk tales and children's poems. They have a role to play in the big picture of NATURE. I wish I could see the world from the tree tops as they can. That would be quite a view.

I want to see one person who works as hard as a squirrel to provide for themselves and their family. And yet, a frequent site in the urban environment is a squirrel killed by a driver. Can't drivers really let them cross the street, or they are just vicious and cruel? I remember a teenage girl yelling to the driver of a car "hit it, hit it!..." when she saw a squirrel running in front of the car. Why?

It is also difficult to read in a paper about squirrel hunting seasons. We cannot control ourselves, but we pretend to be able to control nature. Why do we need to hunt squirrels? Are we hungry, do we need those fur hats?

And if squirrel ruins your property, it is good for the economy. Someone will get busy fixing your property.