Squirrel Appreciation Day

Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day!

How did this day come about, you may ask? Well, you can thank wildlife rehabilitation specialist Christy Hargrove. Hargrove coined the day in 2001 for the purpose of promoting kindness towards these critters. 

Squirrels can be seen as nuisances and pests, but they actually can help with reforestation. You see, squirrels have a habit of burying nuts to keep hidden from others so they can grab them later because, well...they get hungry. Thing is, like with people occasionally forgetting where they place things, squirrels can forget about the nuts they bury. And those nuts...can end up growing into trees. Yeah, squirrels can help with reforestation, albeit indirectly. 

Before the 1800s, squirrels weren't really seen in urban areas. In 1847, squirrels were introduced into Philadelphia's Franklin Square. The experiment ended in the 1860s as many squirrels had passed away or were killed out of fear they'd disrupt birds. Despite that, in the 1870s, the introductions returned as many major cities had expansive parks that could serve as habitats.

So, yeah. Squirrels are neat. Thanks for reading this blog entry!