Squirrel Postcards From Russia

I just wanted to share these images of Russian squirrel postcards that I found online. I really don't know anything about them except that they date from the 1970s and 1980s. The Soviet Union couldn't have been ALL bad if they were turning out cards like these. Enjoy!

This one is my favorite.
I believe it says "Happy New Year"

More On The Squirrel Bridges of Longview, WA

I have not yet found a photo of the new squirrel bridge in Longview that I wrote about in my last post. However, I did just run across this photo from the Washington Post of the town's second squirrel bridge, which was installed in November 2011, and I wanted to share it. As you can see, it is a very nice covered copper span:

New Longview Squirrel Bridge Ready To Go Up

I want to share some happy news today. One of my favorite towns, Longview Washington, will soon see its third squirrel bridge. The twelve foot long, 72 pound bridge will be installed today by the Sandbaggers, a local civic organization, on Nichols Boulevard.

The bridge was designed by John Dick, and is based on the Leonard Zakim Memorial Bridge in Boston, MA. After being declared the winner of the Sandbaggers' annual bridge design contest, it was built by employees of a Longview construction company, JH Kelley. Unfortunately, Mr. Dick did not live to see his design become reality.

The bridge builders show off their new creation

The town of Longview plans to construct a squirrel bridge every year in conjunction with its annual SquirrelFest celebration, which I have written about before on this blog. I will be looking for photos of the new bridge in place after installation, and hope to share them here soon.

Many thanks to the Sandbaggers and the people of Longview for caring so much for their squirrels. It would truly be wonderful if all communities had such compassion for squirrels and all other living creatures.

The first Nutty Narrows Bridge

The Squirrel Whisperer

Mary Krupa is a student at Penn State University. Last year, after seeing some other students feeding the campus squirrels, she decided to try feeding them herself, and struck up a friendship that has made her a celebrity at the university and on the internet.

Krupa is now known on campus as the "squirrel whisperer." Having formed a close bond with the school's squirrels, she not only feeds them, but pets many of them, and has even taken to dressing some of the more willing squirrels in little hats. One of these squirrels, Sneezy, has gained internet fame in his own right through his Facebook page.

Sneezy in his Penn State cap

As you can see in the video below, Miss Krupa has formed a genuine bond of trust and friendship with many of the squirrels at PSU. My first reaction to the photos that I saw of Sneezy was that placing the hats on him might be seen as demeaning, but after watching the video I am convinced that she cares deeply about the animals and that she is truly bringing happiness to the squirrels through her companionship with them, and to the campus community with the hats and her demonstration of compassion and friendship with the squirrels.

The video also includes a discussion of Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning form of Autism that Miss Krupa has. People with Asperger Syndrome face challenges in many aspects of their lives, including the formation of social relationships. I can't help but think, however, that where this condition might make it more difficult to interact and socialize with people, it might actually help her relate to and bond with her squirrel friends.



More Than Just The Squirrel Whisperer from James Rohan on Vimeo.

Catching Up With Squirrel Awareness Month

After a busy few days, it's time to catch up on our Squirrel Awareness Month carol. So without any further ado,

On the tenth day of Squirrel Awareness Month my squirrel love gave to me

Ten nut butter sandwiches,

Nine bottles of Black Squirrel Ale,

Eight fuzzy stuffed squirrels,

Seven smelly snakeskins,

Six comfy dreys,

Five giant sweet peanut patties shaped like Texas,

Four cups of nuts,

Three Baby Ruth bars,

Two ice cream cones,

And an acorn in an oak tree!

Squirrels are known for their love of peanuts. Even though this isn't a food that they would encounter often in the wild, humans have found that a few peanuts (or a few handfuls of peanuts) are always appreciated by their local park squirrels. And as the squirrel in this video will tell you, a jar peanut butter is a treat worth going to some extra effort for!




An Oregon company has been gaining a following lately with some products that any squirrel would love. Wild Squirrel Nut Butter, started by a pair of University of Oregon students, offers a variety of almond and peanut butters with flavorings such as chocolate, cinnamon, and coconut. You can order online or find their nut butters in many stores if you are lucky enough to live in the Pacific Northwest.

I'm hoping that this product will make it into some of the stores here in Texas. In the meantime, maybe my mention here in The News For Squirrels will be rewarded with a free sample (hint hint).

The Fifth Day of Squirrel Awareness Month

On the fifth day of Squirrel Awareness Month my squirrel love gave to me

Five giant sweet peanut patties shaped like Texas,

Four cups of nuts,

Three Baby Ruth bars,

Two ice cream cones,

And an acorn in an oak tree!

Tree squirrels, especially eastern grays, have been noted for the wide variety of foods that they enthusiastically accept. There is even a whole web site devoted to investigating what they will eat and what (if anything) they will turn up their noses at. Although mostly vegetarian, gray squirrels will happily scarf down many of the foods that humans offer them or simply leave behind, from french fries to pizza to (as noted here a few days ago) ice cream. I'm sure any squirrel would be happy to dig into one of these novelty peanut treats!

Classic Squirrel Video, and the Third Day of Squirrel Awareness Month

On the third day of Squirrel Awareness Month my squirrel love gave to me

Three Baby Ruth bars,

Two ice cream cones,

And an acorn in an oak tree!

This classic video shows a squirrel negotiating an obstacle course that was set up in Great Britain. I believe it may have originally aired as part of a BBC program several years ago. The obstacle course segment is impressive, as the narrator describes how quickly the squirrels figured out the moves needed to reach the treat at the end.

The best part of the clip, for me, is at the end, when a city squirrel climbs into a vending machine, steals a Baby Ruth candy bar, and carries it off to a corner of a parking lot to enjoy the peanutty, caramelly, chocolatty goodness. I suppose it might have enjoyed an Almond Joy bar even more had any been available, because sometimes you feel like a nut!

On the Second Day of Squirrel Awareness Month...

On the second day of Squirrel Awareness Month my squirrel love gave to me

Two ice cream cones

And an acorn in an oak tree

Yes, squirrels do love ice cream. If you need more proof, here it is...

Theodore Roosevelt and the Flying Squirrels

Theodore Roosevelt, unlike many of today's Republicans, was known for his conservationist views and his respect for nature and wildlife. He was instrumental in the creation of the National Parks system during his presidency, in the first decade of the twentieth century. Although some of his views, such as his love of big-game hunting, are frowned upon by modern environmentalists, for his time he was definitely progressive.

Roosevelt also liked to be surrounded by animals. During his presidency, his family had more animals at the White House than any other administration. The Roosevelt pets included a bear, a lizard, a macaw, several guinea pigs, a hyena, a pony, a badger, a pig, a hen and a rooster, two cats, and rat, a garter snake, and several dogs.

The Roosevelts had a rustic cabin called Pine Knot in Virginia, where they spent vacations during his presidency. One feature of the two-story cabin was a family of flying squirrels that nested in the rafters. President Roosevelt and his wife Edith were evidently fond of the squirrels, as he wrote in his autobiography,

We loved having flying squirrels among the rafters of our cabin. At night we slept so soundly that we did not in the least mind the wild gambols of the little fellows, even when they would swoop down to the bed and scuttle across it.

And a letter written by the president in 1908 shows just how charming and amusing the Roosevelts found the flying squirrels, even to the point of annoying at least one of their friends:

Mother and I had great fun at Pine Knot. Mr. Burroughs, whom I call Oom John, was with us and we greatly enjoyed having him. But one night he fell into great disgrace! The flying squirrels that were there last Christmas had raised a brood, having built a large nest inside of the room in which you used to sleep and in which John Burroughs slept. Of course they held high carnival at night-time. Mother and I do not mind them at all, and indeed rather like to hear them scrambling about, and then as a sequel to a sudden frantic fight between two of them, hearing or seeing one little fellow come plump down to the floor and scuttle off again to the wall. But one night they waked up John Burroughs and he spent a misguided hour hunting for the nest, and when he found it took it down and caught two of the young squirrels and put them in a basket. The next day under Mother's direction I took them out, getting my fingers somewhat bitten in the process, and loosed them in our room, where we had previously put back the nest. I do not think John Burroughs profited by his misconduct, because the squirrels were more active than ever that night both in his room and ours, the disturbance in their family affairs having evidently made them restless!

I suspect that this was the last time Mr. Burroughs accepted an invitation from President Roosevelt to stay at his cabin. But that was his loss!

Hi Teddy!

Longview, WA Loves Squirrels!

Back in 1963, Amos Peters and his coworkers were upset. Squirrels crossing the street to eat at the feeders that they had put up outside their Longview, WA office were getting hit and killed by cars. So one day, after seeing a squirrel killed in the road with an acorn in its mouth, Amos began designing a special bridge for the squirrels. At his own expense, he hired an engineering firm to carry out his plan, and the Nutty Narrows Bridge was built.

Since the opening of the original Nutty Narrows in 1963, the bridge has been renovated, in 1983, and a few years ago was moved to a new location. But it has continued to serve the squirrel population of Longview, saving the lives of an untold number of the bushy-tailed rodents.

After Peters' death in 1984, a ten-foot tall statue of a squirrel was erected near the bridge in his honor.

Longview, Washington clearly loves and values its squirrels! So finally, in 2011, residents of the town celebrated the first of what will be an annual event, the Longview Squirrel Fest. This year's event is scheduled for August 25, and will feature music, craft and food vendors, bike races, kids' contests and a clown, and even an Elvis Presley impersonator. You can see details of Squirrel Fest 2012 at the official website or on the Facebook page.

This looks like such a good time--and all to honor squirrels!--that I wish we could make the trip from Texas just to attend. Maybe next year!