Squirrels are cute animals. At least that’s what I used to think but now that I’ve spent some time watching them operate, I’m beginning to suspect that their cuteness is just excellent camouflage for what are actually some of the most selfish little creatures roaming the earth.
There is a fruit tree in my parents’ yard that is supposed to be in season around this time, and I had already imagined myself enjoying plenty of its fruits while I’m here. Imagine my disappointment when I arrived and discovered that the squirrels had beaten me to everything.
There are hundreds of them around here, and they appear to have declared war on every fruit and nut tree within their reach and the most annoying part is they don’t even eat everything they take. They’ll climb onto the tree, grab an unripe fruit, chew a little piece off it and then throw the entire thing onto the ground unprovoked. I’ve watched them sit on the branches, casually plucking unripe fruits one after another and dropping them to the ground as though they’re being paid per fruit destroyed. They don’t wait for anything to ripen.
They’ll eat ripe fruits, unripe fruits and fruits that still need another two weeks to become edible. I think the latter is their favorite and it’s not just one tree. Two of the trees in the yard produced an abundance of fruit this season, and I thought we’d finally have enough to eat and perhaps even sell some.
The squirrels had other plans. Within a short period of time, the trees were practically bare and in the bushes underneath them, fruits were scattered everywhere. Half-eaten and damaged unripe fruits. Things that had clearly been plucked from the tree for absolutely no reason other than a squirrel who apparently woke up that morning and decided it wanted to ruin someone’s day.
Unfortunately, this isn’t just about us wanting something nice to eat. Some of these fruits and nuts are sold for money, so when squirrels destroy a significant portion of the harvest, they’re not only taking food; they’re taking away something people could have sold for income.
The palm fruits and nuts around here don’t escape them either. The squirrels move from tree to tree, helping themselves. By the time it’s time for people to bring the palm fruits down, the squirrels have already eaten a considerable amount and the damage doesn’t end there. Some of the palm fruits get so badly destroyed that the person buying them sometimes rejects them.
At this point, I don’t know what kind of arrangement these squirrels think we have because nobody invited them to the farm meeting. Nobody even offered them a share yet they have found a way to appoint themselves owners of everything growing in the yard.
Because they refuse to share, I’ve decided to fight fire with fire. I have spoken to the cats and given them an assignment. Whenever they see a squirrel, they should chase it.
I don’t care if it’s sitting there looking cute or if it has those adorable little eyes. We have had enough.
If the squirrels don’t want to learn the concept of sharing, then perhaps they can relocate.
