Squirrel
+ Humans
As a species, we have not been good to nature in general. For squirrels this has been largely due to extreme deforestation, but also cars, introduced predators like cats, and other invasive species, hunting (mostly historical) and general persecution). In most of Europe, the native broadleaf forests, where squirrels thrive, have been decimated by around 60%, but in some places that figure can be as high as 99% (UK). Although I am lucky to live in a country with one of the highest percentages (69%) of tree coverage now, I used to live in England where most of the land has been destroyed by agriculture. You can't walk across the country without navigating a maze of farmland, and you will rarely see many trees. Deforestation is unfortunately ramping up in Sweden and Finland too. They have been cutting down around a billion trees per year, over the last two decades.
For me, squirrels are a sign of a healthy forest. These cute little forest spirits occupy a special place in my heart. It saddens me to think that if they only knew what humans had done to their kind, they would never come close to us. However, in their innocence, they can be surprisingly friendly. It's not legal to have squirrels as pets in most European countries, which is a good thing. They do not thrive in a domestic environment, despite living a longer life. Watching them in their in the wild is so enjoyable, and having them choose to interact with us is pure magic.
I am trying to photograph these encounters to help people see how special these creatures really are...
Note: If you would like to feed squirrels, please visit my "Squirrel Health" page.
