Do you have a class that borders the front courtyard? If so, then you may have seen two silly squirrels frolicking around. They love to jump on the ledge and peek into the wonders of North Harford. Depending on how close you have gotten to these enchanting animals, you may have had a chance to see the thrill in their eyes. But recently, students have been concerned. Is the sparkle in their dark, black orbs a feeling of excitement – or is it a cry for help?
Sophomore Nathan Fell shares his concerns. “A little while ago, I was in [art teacher] Ms. [Lisa] Campell’s class. We looked outside and noticed the squirrels. After questioning if they could get out, I wrote an email to [Principal] Mr. [Brian] Pawlicki.” According to Fell, he got a response from North Harford’s principal ensuring that they could climb free to the outside world. While that may be the case, what happens when they get to the top of the tree?
There are six trees in the courtyard. Two are very short, so we can eliminate them from being a potential escape route. The other four are humongous, but do the branches reach far enough for our furry friends to jump? According to Wild Bird Unlimited, Squirrels can jump up to five feet horizontally and ten feet between trees and structures. Are the trees close enough to the roof? The school is a lot taller than ten feet, so will they be able to jump down and out with ease? What if they want to see the world and can’t escape?! The average lifespan for a grey squirrel is 18 months! They might never get to experience stealing food from a bird feeder or chewing through innocent people’s car wiring!
To reference another source (since I’m not sure Wild BIRD Unlimited should be my sole source of information about SQUIRRELS), Learn about Nature states that because of their size and body mass, squirrels can withstand falls of up to 200 feet. So, if they managed to get to the top of our high school, they could theoretically just jump off without a scratch.
While discussing the squirrel village outside, Fell also happened to mention what terror he came across while scanning the courtyard terrain. “Resting on a plaque outside, I saw a dead ripped up animal. It had grey fur and bones, and there are now only two squirrels when there used to be three.” He assumes that it was our school mascot (a hawk) that decimated the poor creature, but didn’t see the bird in the act.
Even though there is a lot of worry going around for the squirrels outside, Fell says that malnutrition shouldn’t be an issue. “Ms. Campell is feeding [the squirrels] just in case they get hungry.” Besides, according to Avian and Animal Hospital, if starving, a squirrel could eat their fellow companions. Hopefully this cannibalistic monstrosity doesn’t go down in the courtyard, but if it does, let me know. #SaveTheSquirrels.