(Jay Wilson/DavidsonNews.net)

To the editor:

Over the past couple of weeks, we have found numerous dead squirrels on or near College Drive, Lorimer Road, and Woodland Street. These squirrels do not appear to have been hit by cars. Often their abdomens are swollen, leading us to suspect that they may have been poisoned.

If this is so, perhaps it is because some folks are using poison to rid their yards of moles or for some similar purpose. But as with any use of poisons, the effects are often deadly on an unanticipated scale. In this case, the same poison that is killing moles endangers not only squirrels, but also cats, dogs, and other animals, both domestic and wild.

Not everyone likes squirrels; some even see them as vermin to be destroyed. Some of us, on the other hand, enjoy having them around, along with the birds and other native creatures.

In any case, we would ask that anyone using poison to rid a yard of animals perceived as pests consider using less dangerous and more humane methods. For many of these creatures, non-lethal traps are available. Unless they are causing damage that cannot be prevented in any other way, please let our neighborhood squirrels live!

Robin Barnes
College Drive