Squirrels of terror: UVA terrorized by furry rodents
‘They’re too ballsy’
An article in the Duke Chronicle recently reported that Duke squirrels are terrorizing students.
UVA, as any Hoo knows, has a large squirrel population of its own. Do UVA students feel the same way Blue Devils do about their squirrels?
Before I came to UVA it never occurred to me that squirrels could be the cause of a great deal of distress. When I was little, I thought they were cute creatures that would never cause me harm and I used to view squirrels as a kindly neighbor in my life.
UVA’s squirrels, however, are quite discomforting to say the least.
I went out to see if others held the same hatred for squirrels as I do. I was surprised at the different reactions I got from my peers and professors.
“They’re too ballsy,” says Nicole Schwab, second year.
“One of them is going to get kicked in the face one day and I won’t be held accountable.”
Nicole is no animal abuser and never has been. Yet these squirrels seem to instill a kind of fear in us that causes a self-defense reaction, or as Nicole explains: “If I feel threatened, I will defend myself.”
I have personally kept the same philosophy as Nicole when dealing with the UVA squirrels: avoid them if possible, and do whatever necessary when attacked. Some may call such reactions unnecessary, but the squirrels even seem to be reminding some professors about their unhappy childhood experiences with squirrels..
Mark Edmundson, an English professor, said he was always fond of squirrels but whenever he does see a squirrel he is reminded of the time he threw a rock at one sitting on a telephone poll: “I hit it with the rock, it fell down, and then scurried away probably to die shortly after.”
“Ever since then I’ve sort of had a bad conscious when it comes to squirrels.”
The squirrels at UVA are so unbothered by their human neighbors that you can get fairly close to one without it even running away like normal non-UVA squirrels do.
Jordan Arnold, first year, says squirrels are “cool, but UVA squirrels are creepy.
“It weirds me out that they’re not concerned by the fact that I’m near them. They also walk weird – most scamper, but UVA squirrels walk without fear.”
UVA is a territory that is being fought over: students versus squirrels. Second year Devon Sherred claims she even got attacked by a group of squirrels once when she was walking behind Brown her first year at UVA: “I got bombed by nuts. I guess they may have just been falling, but I swear it was the squirrels who threw them at me, they’re very ballsy at UVA.”
Fear not, UVA students, because as environmental science professor James Galloway related to me, the squirrel population has been kept under control by natural predators. Galloway explained that about two to three years ago, the squirrel population at UVA plummeted due to some red-tailed hawks that had been nesting outside by the West Range café.
“Well, when those hawks had children and had to feed them, those squirrels ended up becoming breakfast lunch and dinner.”
So it seems that the UVA community at least has the red- tailed hawks on their side and there may be hope yet.
Despite their reign of terror, there would truly be something missing if grounds were squirrel free.