Are Squirrels Afraid of People?

You’ll be able to watch many YouTube movies displaying individuals hand-feeding and even petting or holding squirrels, and it’d make you ask your self, “are squirrels petrified of people?” Based on consultants in squirrel removing in Okanagan, squirrels are naturally afraid of people, which is a wholesome concern. With out that concern, squirrels threat their lives, whether or not on human meals or trusting the flawed individual. There are a minimum of three causes squirrels must be afraid of individuals.

1. Squirrels See Individuals as Predators

Most frequently, the squirrels you see being held and hand-fed had been probably raised by people. Typically, child squirrels turn out to be orphans, both by means of abandonment or loss of life. Being raised by people or round them creates an unnatural temperament in these orphaned animals.

Most wild animals have a pure concern response to individuals. The response is pure as a result of squirrels see individuals as predators. Animals that rank low on the meals chain turn out to be wonderful runners and hiders; squirrels are a little bit of each. You don’t want to nurture their protecting nature out of them as a result of it makes them susceptible; that’s the reason it’s best to let the animals fend for themselves fairly than feed them. 

2. Individuals Are Intimidating

Squirrels are small mammals. They solely attain a peak of 15 to twenty inches and a weight of round one and a half kilos. The animal’s stature is a major a part of why they’re a prey species.

Individuals tower over these little creatures. Standing 5′ or 6′ tall, a mean individual is roughly 5 instances taller than the tallest squirrel. The dimensions of individuals is one cause squirrels consider them to be predators.

Whereas there are methods to persuade the tiny animals you aren’t a menace, why would you do this? Who does it profit? The squirrel doesn’t want you to feed it, and it doesn’t want human companionship. Convincing a squirrel that individuals are not harmful is in and of itself dangerous.

3. Some Individuals Kill and Eat Squirrels

Squirrels have a proper to concern some individuals. Some people do away with squirrels by killing them for sport, and others kill them for meals. When you think about this, individuals are predators of squirrels. 

By feeding squirrels and coaching them to not run from individuals however run in direction of them, you enhance the chance of 1 falling sufferer to a predatory human. You start to show the animal that each one individuals are a meals supply, which is dangerous.

Even in case you are not deliberately hurting a squirrel, feeding the animal can get rid of a few of its pure foraging instincts. If the animal will get sufficient meals from you, there isn’t any cause for it to hunt meals elsewhere.

When you at all times plan to stay the place you reside, by no means plan on lacking feedings, and solely feed pure squirrel meals, this may be okay — probably not however faux. Nonetheless, nobody can sustain that degree of consistency. When you miss feedings, turn out to be in poor health, or transfer, that squirrel has misplaced its solely meals supply.

One of the best factor you are able to do for squirrels is to look at them from a distance. Don’t intervene with the pure order of issues, and no matter you do, don’t attempt to nurture their pure concern away.

The concern of people retains squirrels protected and helps preserve the animals away out of your property. Squirrels may cause a number of injury in the event that they get inside your own home or take up residence alongside your roof. When you consider you might have a squirrel downside, contact Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Management and schedule a property evaluation. The corporate will ship educated wildlife technicians to examine your house and its environment to find out if an issue exists.