Upstairs neighbors

Seeing animals in urban landscapes is always an extraordinary experience, which evokes a wave of positive emotions. No tourist will be left indifferent when he sees hares in German streets or deer which enter US city parks. These are special relationships between the city and nature, a harmonious coexistence of people and animals.

Ukrainian cities, too, have their own wild animals, which have long ago become city residents, and have corresponding habits and lifestyle. In this respect, squirrels are the most active. They are friendly, curious, and easy-going.

“A squirrel is an adornment of any city, park, it is part of urban landscape, its emotional and aesthetic element. It is very good when a city leaves places to live for other living creatures, not only people. In civilized countries you can always see ducks, swans, squirrels, hares, and even deer in the cities. Nothing threatens them. And in our country they are destroyed rather than being cared for,” Volodymyr BOREIKO, head of the Kyiv Ecological-Cultural Center, a noted ecologist and wildlife champion told The Day. In his words, city “squirrels are half-domesticated and in winter they mostly feed at people’s expense, which saves them from hunger.” These animals are especially favored by kids who actively treat them to nuts and biscuits.

However, the ecologist noted, the population of these red residents is getting smaller with every year passing. The main reason for that is lack of dwelling places (you must agree that this problem concerns not only squirrels in the cities). Zelenbud is cutting down trees with hollows, and the tradition to hang nest boxes has been forgotten, the expert explains.

“We don’t know how many squirrels live in the cities as we haven’t had any research on that. According to my personal observations, the number of squirrels in Kyiv has reduced. There are practically no squirrels left in the Fomin Botanical Garden, near the Universitet subway station. I remember they used to climb on the fence, waiting for people to feed them. Their number has also decreased in the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute Park because of the so-called reconstruction, when a great number of trees with hollows were cut down during Oleksandr Omelchenko’s mayorship. And as nobody hangs nest boxes for squirrels now, they have no place to live,” the ecologist sums up.

So, we can lose our good neighbors. And to prevent this from happening, we need to establish good neighborly relations – hang nest boxes in the parks and always remember to bring something tasty for squirrels, especially in winter.