Not sure whether I’m pleased or not
By Fleur
@Fleura (29129)
United Kingdom
March 8, 2017 12:19pm CST
I just opened the door and three wild creatures in the garden made a sharp exit. My first thought was ‘How nice to have wildlife just outside the door!’
But on reflection I realised that of the three, one was a destructive non-native Chinese muntjac deer and the other was an invasive non-native American grey squirrel. The only native was a green woodpecker. So maybe not so great after all.
All rights reserved. © Text and image copyright Fleur 2017.
17 people like this
16 responses
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
8 Mar 17
Squirrels can be quite destructive if they get into your attic!
3 people like this
@garymarsh6 (23393)
• United Kingdom
9 Mar 17
@PainsOnSlate They can be real pests!
2 people like this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
9 Mar 17
They got into my attic but after having the roof fixed we hope it doesn't happen again.
2 people like this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
23 May 17
@MALUSE Have a look at this article and the maps it contains, and you'll see why my chances of seeing one are far lower than they were in my childhood (and I never saw one even then).
An army of 5,000 volunteers is being sought to save the red squirrel from extinction by monitoring populations, educating children – and bludgeoning grey squi
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
12 Mar 17
So many non-native species get introduced and it really affects the ecology of entire countries. We have that here in the United States with both flora and fauna.
1 person likes this
@BelleStarr (61047)
• United States
12 Mar 17
@Fleura These days it is more like invasive species from south America and Asia. Most European ones seems to adapt not conquer. lol
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
8 Mar 17
Time to go fishing, then you can have fun and get rid of the squirrel all at once! I used to go squirrel fishing, and it was really funny whenever I would catch a chipmunk instead!
All you do is get a peanut with the shell on, and tie it to yarn, then throw it out and reel it in. When they grab it, pull them in before they can bite through the yarn. And then do whatever. :D
I just hoisted them into the air. It was great fun.
1 person likes this
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
8 Mar 17
@Fleura I know plenty of people here that eat them, but I've never had an interest in doing it. I actually like squirrels. I used to train them to do tricks when I was around a lot of them. One of which was patting my leg (with jeans on) and having them climb up to my waist for food. I made a girl scream once because she thought the squirrel attacked me.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
8 Mar 17
@OneOfMany They're clever alright, and amusing. I wouldn't mind them if they hadn't driven our native red squirrels almost to extinction.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
9 Mar 17
Tisk tisk tisk, no matter where they are from, we should love them.... 
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
9 Mar 17
@PainsOnSlate The grey squirrels carry squirrel-pox, which they seem to be immune to but the reds are getting wiped out.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
9 Mar 17
@Fleura I guess it is not around here, never heard of it. We have gray, red and black squirrels in the woods behind the house and always trying to get into the squirrel proof bird feeders.
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
8 Mar 17
They are practically everywhere now. I was dismayed when I read this article the other day and saw the maps:
An army of 5,000 volunteers is being sought to save the red squirrel from extinction by monitoring populations, educating children – and bludgeoning grey squi
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
10 Mar 17
What do the deer and the squirrel do that makes them destructive?
1 person likes this
@1hopefulman (45123)
• Canada
12 Mar 17
@Fleura I see that it's a serious problem! 
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
10 Mar 17
The deer eat just about everything so they are destroying native plants as well as habitats used by birds etc. The squirrels compete with the native red squirrels but they have a more varied diet, they are bigger and they also carry squirrel pox which they are immune to but the reds are going to be extinct in the next few decades unless we do something.
1 person likes this
@AbbyGreenhill (45496)
• United States
8 Mar 17
What is a Chinese muntjac deer and why is it no good?
1 person likes this
@Fleura (29129)
• United Kingdom
8 Mar 17
They are these:
and they eat practically everything that grows, destroying native woodland plants and habitat for birds etc.
Information and Management Menu Skip to content Search for: Muntjac are the oldest but possibly the least studied and understood of all known deer species, prehistoric in origin with remains dated between 15 and 35 million years. Muntjac buck called in by
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
8 Mar 17
I had three of those squirrels, some starling interlopers and a mess of native birds, even a pair of mallards, scarfing my bird seed.
1 person likes this
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
8 Mar 17
How did our squirrels get to the UK?
1 person likes this
