Animals

Squirrel pictured building nest out of plastic


This could be one of the first pictures of a squirrel using plastic to build its nest (Picture: SWNS)

Worrying new pictures are believed to be among the first to show an emerging behaviour in squirrels – using plastic bags to build their nests.

The rodent was snapped on its hind legs in London seemingly struggling under the bulk of the bags it was carrying in its arms.

It can barely see where it is going through the plastic scraps – before transferring them into its mouth and scurrying off.

The pictures are believed to be some of the first to show the behaviour in squirrels, after scientists first highlighted the phenomenon in 2018 in India.

This British squirrel was spotted by photographer Henry Jacobs, 73, while walking along the Lee Valley Navigational Canal, in Haringey.

The rodent was spotted in London, two years after a scientist identified the behaviour in India (Picture: SWNS)

Mr Jacobs said: ‘When I first saw it, I didn’t know what I was looking at.

‘I knew it was an animal, but I genuinely couldn’t work out what animal it was for the first few seconds.

‘It was a very unusual sight.’

He continued: ‘I thought, what is it doing with that? Why would it want plastic? It looked very odd.

‘I didn’t even know about squirrel nests until I looked it up later that day – and then I found out that they use what is available to them.’

There is also anecdotal evidence of squirrels eating plastic, amid growing concern around plastic pollution’s impact on the environment and animals, particularly in the oceans.

But it is unclear how widespread the behaviour is in squirrels, as they come into contact with increasing amounts of plastic.

Mr Jacobs praised those who look after the towpath but went on: ‘Why can’t people just take their rubbish home and put it in the bin, I don’t understand.

‘I just think it’s such a shame.’

The man who watched the squirrel said it was a ‘real shame’ to see (Picture: SWNS)

The phenomenon is believed to have first been spotted by an Indian scientist in 2018 – but does not appear to have been caught on camera much before.

Dr Mewa Singh, of the Bio-psychology Laboratory at the University of Mysore, in Karnataka, south India, published his research findings in March 2018, after observing the behaviour in Indian palm squirrels.

His research observed the squirrels using plastic bags, plastic threads and cigar butts as nesting materials in urban areas, instead of leaves, twigs, shredded bark, mosses and other soft materials.

Researchers saw the squirrels collect a long plastic sheet from a small dump yard, carefully check it and tear it into the appropriate size and shape.

Two more nests were also found at the same location, built using similar plastic material.

And at another site, also located near a dump area, it was discovered that only one of the four nests on the tree was built completely with natural materials.

Dr Singh’s study explained: ‘The proportion of anthropogenic (man-made) material used in nest building is directly related to the extent of urbanization.

‘Although Indian palm squirrels usually build nests using natural materials, these squirrels appear to be adapting themselves to changes in habitat by using plastic material to survive.

‘The use of plastic for nest building by the palm squirrel is a typical example of the struggle for existence in altered habitats.’





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