By Andrea Starr | September 18, 2018
You may have noticed the unusually large numbers of squirrels around us. Sadly, many are seen as large numbers of squirrel roadkill.
What on earth is happening? A number of newspaper articles, radio broadcasts, television segments have tried to answer that question. In sum, the past two years of high acorn density have produced a rodent population boom, leading to a rise in traffic-related squirrel fatalities as the youngsters grow up and move out.
For more detail, The Exchange’s particularly informative and interesting radio broadcast from September 10 is worth a listen. (In Appreciation of Squirrels (57:16), from NH Public Radio (NHPR)). It seeks to explain it all: acorns, squirrels, crows, foxes, coyotes, and even bears.
References:
Concord Monitor. (2018, August 30). From fruit thieves to road kill, squirrels are everywhere this summer. Retrieved from https://www.concordmonitor.com/squirrels-acorns-road-kill-nh-19800800
Concord Monitor. (2018, September 7). No Avoiding the Influx of N.H. Squirrels. Retrieved from https://www.concordmonitor.com/squirrel-hunting-20010236
The Exchange (NHPR). (2018, September 10). In Appreciation of Squirrels & The Latest on Emerald Ash Borer. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381443862/the-exchange
Farmers’ Almanac. (2018, September 11). What’s Going On With All The Dead Squirrels? Retrieved from https://www.farmersalmanac.com/dead-squirrels-32602
Frohn, Jim (UNH Extension). (2017). Acorns, Acorns Everywhere. Retrieved from https://extension.unh.edu/blog/acorns-acorns-everywhere
Greene, Britta (NHPR). (2018, August 29). It’s a Banner Year for Rodent Roadkill. Here’s Why. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/podcasts/381443862/the-exchangehttp://www.nhpr.org/post/its-banner-year-rodent-roadkill-heres-why
Manchester Union-Leader. (2018). ‘Never seen this many’ dead gray squirrels says NH Fish and Game biologist. Retrieved from http://www.unionleader.com/animals/never-seen-this-many-dead-gray-squirrels-says-nh-fish-and-game-biologist-20180830
WMUR. (2018, August 30). Yes, there have been a lot of dead squirrels on NH roads. Retrieved from https://www.wmur.com/article/yes-there-have-been-a-lot-of-dead-squirrels-on-nh-roads/22863676
Milton Observer 