The rodents may be cute, but they are still wild animals
Cute faces and fluffy tails characterize many of the things that exist on campus.
No, I’m not talking about something left in a student’s fridge for too long. The specific rodents I am referring to are the campus squirrels.
In most popular children’s movies, squirrels are seen as the cute and funny sidekick to some stronger entity. Hammy from “Over the Hedge” was as hyper as a squirrel could get.
He is the reason I describe myself as a squirrel when I drink coffee.
Claire Whitley
There is also Squeaker from “Emperor’s New Groove” and Twitchy from “Hoodwinked.” Squirrels decorate movies in all sizes and shapes, but they are, at the core of them, hyper little miscreants.
On the University of Idaho campus, squirrels scamper all over the place without fear. Students need to be aware, though, that just because they look cute and friendly, it doesn’t mean they should be played with.
On campus, a squirrel will almost never run away from a student. During my freshman year, I remember walking away from Bob’s with a friend and seeing a squirrel just sitting by the sidewalk. Walking toward it, I had assumed it would run away. Instead it actually sniffed at us and sidled a little closer. When it realized we didn’t have any food for it, it scurried off.
I don’t tell this story to make it seem like squirrels are adorable and could be pets. I use it as a warning. Squirrels are wild animals. It doesn’t matter how tame they appear, a wild animal is a wild animal.
While I don’t believe the squirrels around campus carry contagious diseases, it is still possible that they will bite innocent people while looking for a handout. It is also worth noting, there are members of administration against feeding “natural and feral” wildlife on campus.
Squirrels can also cause problems with electricity on campus, which was witnessed earlier this summer. Squirrels have yet to survive any kind of mishap with electricity, and once they do, I’m sure they will become a nuisance.
Instead of trying to feed squirrels, or letting them run all over you as I have seen before, just watch them.
Squirrels are cute, but they are also something to be admired from afar. Keep these pages and adore the squirrels here, but don’t get the urge to go try to make friends with them. Let them be as nature wants them to be.
Claire Whitley can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Cewhitley24