How to Deal with Pesky Squirrels

At Evergreen Elementary School, the students were preparing for their field trip. Suddenly a squirrel entered a classroom and attacked a first-grade student, as well as two adults who were joining the field trip as chaperone.

At around 8:43 in the morning of Wednesday, May 9, a call was made to 911 to report the incident. San Jose police Sgt, Nick Muyo reported that a 7-year-old girl and the two adults were attacked by a squirrel. The attack was severe enough to draw blood from the arm of at least one of the adults.

The victims were not harmed badly though. They suffered scratches and possibly bites and were treated at the school and paramedics who later arrived. They did not require hospitalization according to the spokesperson of the school district. He added that the attack was unprovoked.

The school does not have a high population of squirrels, nor has there been a history of squirrel attacks. After the incident happened, all classrooms were immediately closed. Staff and students were alerted. Everyone was told to stay away from areas frequented by squirrels.The school authorities said that the school's animal control partner have set human traps in the campus, because the squirrel was still on the run.

The Santa Clara County Vector Control District assistant manager said that squirrels do not often attack people. When they do, it usually has to do with food, and there are certain times of the year and under certain conditions they become quite aggressive. Sometimes the squirrels get scared and in their desire to run away, they would climb, sometimes they would climb people.

He added that squirrels are not often associated with rabies. They are low-risk animals especially when it comes to transmission of the viral illness, which is usually transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected animal.

Still, it would not hurt to be tested, he said. The victims can be seen by a doctor, and it would be best to see the status of the squirrel as well. Unfortunately, the squirrel has not been caught.

A squirrel is a medium-sized rodent. Typically they are tree squirrels with large bushy tails. They are known to come into close proximity of humans in places like houses, apartment buildings, parks, and school campuses. Squirrels are generally clever and persistent animals. They appear notorious for scavenging for food, digging in potted plants and for setting up houses in sheltered areas including attics. That is why homeowners in heavy squirrel population must keep attics and basements carefully sealed to prevent possible damage caused by squirrels who intend to live in their place.

Squirrels tend to chew on various edible and inedible objects. They do not get scared by fake owls and scarecrows anymore, so the best way to prevent chewing on an object is to apply it with something to make it undesirable with something like a chili pepper taste or powder.

Squirrels are often the cause of electricity outages. They are often seen to walk on power lines. They enter transformers or capacitors. They do not recognize a tree branch from a live power line, and because of their habit of chewing on anything, they cause a power surge that shorts equipment and could even be electrocuted.

Squirrels have brought the high-tech NASDAQ stock market twice and were responsible for a power outages at the University of Alabama.