Squirrels are such adorable little pests. They make themselves utterly cute when they hop around, enjoying their days. They've got wonderfully fuzzy tails that seem to move so effortlessly through the air when they run. They run quite often, and they dig quite often too.
When I talk to most people about squirrels, they simply can't get past their negative tendencies. People seem to think that a squirrel's only natural function is to deface lawns. They see them as ugly rodent pests. My mother is one of those people. Whenever she sees a squirrel, she remarks, "look at it there, digging up our lawn", even if it's resting harmlessly on the pavement. She also focus on their habits of taking much of the food she tries to grow in her garden. "How", she aggressively wonders, "can such a small animal steal an entire tomato?" Very effectively, it seems.
But surely the odd tomato and three square centimeter patch of grass can be sacrificed in order to sustain the population of these fuzzy little creatures. If we could overcome our tendencies to ignore all their good qualities and focus only on the minor irritations, then we would realize how much joy squirrels could bring to our lives. Simply admiring them can put a smile on anyone's face.
Have you ever looked a squirrel dead in the face? If you did, you would have seen beautiful, clear black eyes revealing the squirrel's uplifting attitude, a furry little nose begging for some kind person to come and give it a boop, and a hesitant mouth slightly ajar, wondering whether to find more tomatoes to eat or to keep looking into your pleasing eyes. Such a kind face has rarely been seen on a human, but this face is common on squirrels. Why should we not peer into those beady, squirrel eyes more often?
Have you ever seen a squirrel taking a nap on the top of a fence post? If you have, you saw a creature in utter peace. Sprawled out over that fence post, the squirrel has made a tranquil bed out of what you had previously thought of as only a lump of hard, unforgiving wood, and it looks adorable doing it. Could you really imagine it dreaming about maliciously robbing you of tomatoes?
Squirrels are so much more than thieves and miniature plows. They brighten our lives with their chirping, their fuzzy underbellies, and their cute bushy tails. We shouldn't look at squirrels with disgust and anger over their instinctive habits. We should appreciate that they are just as cute as any other small fuzzy animal and admire them as such.
Squirrels are totally adorable! And the ones on campus are so tame you can go right up to them.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite squirrel memory involves one flying at my face. It ran out of a bush without looking just as a biker came down the sidewalk. Instead of getting flattened, the timing had been just right so it ran in between the spokes of the wheel and got flung around in circle after circle. The biker noticed and instantly braked, and the squirrel flew out of the wheel right at my face (I was just standing there dumb, watching it all unfold). Anyway, it scrambled up on top of my head and shook its fist at the biker, making this furious little chattery noise, and then ran off. Me and the biker just stood there staring at it, because I swear to God it sounded so human when it was yelling that it warped my mind.
Anyway, nice post.
I think we've had similar conversations about squirrels when walking to and from Kenney. They're definitely cute, but I've read one too many stories about rabid squirrels attacking pedestrians to *quite* trust them. Still, I can definitely appreciate both their cuteness and their necessity to our local ecosystem. I mean, they can't help it if they get rabies. Maybe we should be more understanding of their circumstances.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see a whole post just about how amazing squirrels are. They're so cute!! I love the way you describe their movements and behaviors, I can hear the true affection in your voice. There have definitely been times where a squirrel has scared me by jumping out of the bushes on the way to Kenney but whenever I see them holding something or sitting up on high alert I just smile at how cute they are!
ReplyDeleteI must add my voice to my peers. I have grown to love squirrels as well, for all the reasons you describe and more. About time the little guys got the respect they deserve. They are truly among the most elegant, smart, and hardworking animals on the planet, and adorable to boot. Your blog was a shining light in the dark for squirrel kind everywhere, and I'm sure they would thank you emphatically, if only they could.
ReplyDeleteI'm fairly neutral on squirrels. Since I'm not a gardener or bird-watcher, I don't have much to complain about except how they like running out in front of cars and then changing their mind about which direction they want to go (why are they like this??). But I've always thought they were kinda cute, although the way you describe them in such depth adds a lot more to that.
ReplyDeleteWhat I love about squirrels is their entertaining weirdness, like how they can lie down with their little legs sticking out behind them. Also, throwback to the numerous times Kenney was full of squirrels and one jumped at a bunch of our classmates while it dashed through the hallways.
Your post made me search up pictures of sleeping squirrels because I've never seen them sleep in real life before. They are so cute! Admittedly, I am one of those people who gets scared of crazy fast squirrels that are really close to me, but I do think they bring a lot of joy to our everyday lives.
ReplyDeleteAh... a fellow squirrel activist. I agree that squirrels are perfectly cute, innocent creatures. People see them as pests because they eat our fruits and vegetables. But so do rabbits, and many people consider bunnies to be innocent. Why should squirrels be different? Its good to have a post dedicated to the fuzzy little creatures :)
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