Cooling Marshes, Kent, 7th December 2014

Monday 29 November 2010

Hot Topic: Grey Squirrels


An unusual encounter in Greenwich Park last week has prompted me to rethink my views on the bushy-tailed critter so common in gardens and parks across the country.
As a young child, I’m fairly sure the stealthy nut-burying antics and tree-top acrobatics of grey squirrels not only delighted me, but provided me with an invaluable early experience of nature. Looking at the number of people, children and adults alike, watching and photographing the squirrels darting about in the park last week it is clear that many feel the same way. It’s great to see people enjoying wildlife at close quarters but it appears that some squirrels in Greenwich Park are starting to enjoy the presence of people a little too much.
This occurred to me last week when, after stopping briefly to view the deer enclosure with my binoculars, a grey squirrel leapt off a wire fence 2-3 feet away and landed on my thigh. It was quite a surprise; I’ve never heard of, yet alone experienced, that before. After forcibly shaking it off, the same thing happened again a few minutes later when a different individual clambered onto my shin while I was looking elsewhere.
Now interestingly, the squirrels I see in my neighbourhood, just a mile or so away from the park, appear to react with nothing less than sheer terror whenever they encounter a human. So what is behind the unwelcome and aggressive behaviour exhibited by those in Greenwich Park?
Unsurprisingly it appears that the problem stems from incidences of feeding by the public. During the course of the afternoon I witnessed two individuals throwing down food for the squirrels and many subsequently arriving to take advantage of it. With squirrels associating humans with food, it’s not surprising that their approaches are becoming increasingly bold.
So what to do? People gain pleasure from feeding the squirrels, that’s clear, but if there is chance of squirrels jumping on people to pursue food, then surely it becomes an issue?  I didn’t see any signs discouraging feeding but even if there were, would it be too hard to enforce? I emailed Royal Parks to find out if they have a grey squirrel management policy but have not had a reply as yet. A caption on their website however might give a slight clue as to where they stand- “This species was introduced from North America and has replaced our native red squirrel throughout much of the UK. Nevertheless, their athletic antics and begging for food are a constant source of entertainment to visitors.” That strikes me as being a tad flippant but I appreciate it’s a tricky issue. What do you think?

UPDATE 29/11/10- I received an email today from the assistant manager of Greenwich Park responding to my enquiry about possible problems with the squirrel population. He writes that the population of grey squirrels within the park is “healthy” and thriving due to a lack of natural predators and food provided by park visitors. However he also writes that a poster campaign will be launched in the new year, “encouraging people NOT TO FEED the squirrels or the pigeons”. This will apparently be monitored with the help of the police. I think this is welcome news.

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