Squirrels might be similar to rodents like mice and rats, but humans tend to like them more. That’s why it was especially confusing that two people in California this week suffered from squirrel attacks.
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KTVU, a Fox station in the bay Area, reported that a single “extremely aggressive” squirrel is believed to be the animal involved in both attacks. Both individuals ended up in the emergency room due to their injuries.
Joan Heblack was one of the victims, according to an ABC 7 report.
“It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!’ I didn't want to touch it,” she said. Heblack was taking a walk through Lucas Valley in San Rafael when her run-in with the squirrel occurred.
Her assailant “came out of nowhere,” Heblack added.
Isabel Campoy was also surprised when a squirrel leapt at her from the ground in the same area, near Mount Lassen Drive. She threw up an arm to cover her face as the squirrel lunged.
“I tried to protect my face, my arm was completely overcome by squirrel,” Campoy said. “Finally it jumped off, by then I was full of blood, I run to the emergency room.”
Per the Iowa Department of Natural Resources there are 280 different squirrel species out there. Generally, squirrels have a diet of nuts, berries, stems and roots but they sometimes eat meat if they have an opportunity or if they are stressed. They also have teeth strong enough to chew on acorn hulls and pinecones.
Lisa Bloch, director of marketing and communications for Marin Humane, said the description of the biting squirrel in the Bay Area was the same in both attacks.
“The squirrel has a particular coloring,” Bloch said, according to KTVU. “He’s kind of a caramel color or a golden color and that’s a little bit more unique.”
Animal experts cited by the local outlets in the Bay Area said that squirrel attacks are rare. In 2017, The Atlantic reported on a squirrel attack in Washington, D.C. Previously, Mercury News reported that eight people had been attacked by a squirrel or squirrels in Marin County, the same area where the attacks were reported this month.
Humans have historically been comfortable around the little animals. So comfortable that we moved them into our cities, per this report from Popular Science. Those animal experts said one reason for random attacks might be that people are getting a bit too comfortable with squirrels and treating them like pets. That can be dangerous – especially feeding squirrels.
“The squirrel will go up to a human assuming they’re going to get fed and then, because the human might react, understandably, in a defensive way or angry way, the squirrel can get frustrated, and that can lead to the squirrel lashing out,” Bloch explained.
“If they associate people with food, they’re not afraid of them,” said Vanessa Potter from WildCare in San Rafael, as cited by ABC 7. “They will look for food. If they don't get it, there can be frustrations. They can be territorial of their space.”
Fortunately, both experts said that squirrels are not often vectors for rabies. Still, attacks can be painful, and the animals can carry other diseases.
Since the attacks, flyers have gone up in the area warning residents to be careful. It’s also been a popular subject on the social media app Nextdoor and ABC 7 reported that around five people may have been attacked by the squirrel culprit. It hadn’t been spotted in several days as of Monday.
Those who run into aggressive squirrels or other aggressive wildlife, experts recommend scaring them away, from a distance, by yelling and stomping feet. Bloch also recommends getting away from the animal as soon as possible.
If injured by an animal, people should seek medical help.
“It always bears repeating: Don't feed wildlife! It's highly unusual for squirrels to be aggressive towards humans and these attacks were likely a result of someone feeding the animal,” said a Wednesday Facebook post from Marin Humane. “While it may seem like a compassionate way to support our wild neighbors, it ultimately causes more harm than good when animals become overly habituated to people. The best thing we can do to foster safe coexistance with wildlife is to keep them wild!”
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