Yale Daily News

Nice story (and I don't really like squirrels that much.) Residential colleges are nearly dog heaven, but I can tell you from my friend's dog's experience, dog heaven on earth must be Old Campus. So much space, so many people to say hi to (nearly every other student has a story of their dog back home.)

Plus, the squirrels (shot of diseases) seem an ideal dorm pet. Are the authorities going to send the squirrels to the pound?

KT

that picture is disgusting

The reason why colleges don't allow pets is to prevent situations where that cat, currently owned by four students, what happens to him when they graduate? Who will keep him? What if their new lives/apartments don't allow for a pet? I am okay with this sharing only if it's clear before the adoption - and thank you for adopting - that one person will be responsible for the cat for the rest of his life. Cats and dogs can live for 15-20 years and people who are adopting need be sure they realize what they are getting into - including financially (please buy pet health insurance!) Re: the squirrel, she has now been taught not to be afraid of people - kind or NOT kind, and what happens when she encounters someone who is not kind? Also, if she relies on humans for food, she will not forage. I too am an animal lover - I just to make sure people realize what they are committing to with a pet, and educate themselves about why it's best to leave wild animals alone. Thank you.

One of us lives nearby and takes the cat on all holidays and her family (especially her 8 year old sister) plans on keeping it after we graduate if we let them. We didn't think through this decision lightly. Most of us have had cats before, so we knew it was a major commmitment.

I think the no animals policy might reflect a concern about noise, allergies, messes, and potential bites. Having had hockey player suitemates and basketball players in the room above, dogs might have been a welcome relief on all those scores.

I suspect many Yale students are as responsible about their pets as the women with the cat above, or at least I hope they are.

My worry, for example with the squirrels is that they get too used to being in dorm rooms, and next year, or some year in the future, the new occupants of the room call Campus custodial services to have the creatures removed perhaps by killing them. I hope not.

Thank you, responsible cat owners, I should have expected nothing less from Yale students! I work for an animal welfare organization and I thank you :) Re: "fear they might have squirrels removed" posting, you're right - maybe they should look into steps now that can be taken to try to prevent this, or at least ensure the word is passed down... or maybe start weaning the squirrel off the attention now. Thank you for caring.

Wonderful article.

squirrels are RODENTS. um, hello????

I wonder if the squirrels have ID cards to get into Old Campus?

Get a Clue Squirrel Haters Or Just Go Home

The problem with a Squirrel Hater is that he/she is not a squirrel-pet.

We would not dare to call into question the talents or qualifications of dogs, cats or guinea pigs simply because we have faith in Yale pet admissions standards and admit to knowing nothing about what it takes to be successful in these fields. One thing we have learned in our time at Yale is that sometimes the most important lessons are outside of the cage. The most unlikely animals and the most unexpected circumstances often are the best teachers. Squirrel haters, here is your opportunity to learn a lesson.

* * *

Given the current campus climate toward offensive speech (and rocks thrown at rodents), it is surprising that Squirrel Haters ignorantly buy into generalizations about squirrel-pets. We doubt that groundskeepers at numerous New Haven and Yale trees would call us “disrespectful” or “disruptive.” Rather, the hundreds of squirrel volunteers at these trees are (nut-)roll models.

While Squirrel Haters consider our non-scholarship status as indicative of mediocrity, the stunning successes of Yale’s squirrels presents an entirely different picture. In our four years at Yale, we have seen 12 squirrels become All Ivy League Nut Collectors. Currently, Bulldog squirrel rosters are filled with squirrel/pet All-Americans, national champion nut gathers, Olympic chattering qualifiers and potential professional squirrels as pets, as well as many squirrels who turned down giant nut hoards to attend Yale on their own ...nut.

To call us mediocre is to insult each and every squirrel-pet who has gathered nuts from Yale. These alumni are leaders in squirrel-society and continue to foster and uphold the great traditions of this University's most Bush-y Tailed squirrels.

Consider a few dumb squirrels who were once “barely surviving gut nut-gathering classes” as student-pet squirrels at Yale: Rocky ’71, soaring team/track Yale long-jump record holder, 4 time all-American tree climber, half of famous "moose and squirrel" team; Screwball "Screwy" Squirrel ’44, nut-toss captain; star of Happy-Go-Nutty; Slappy Squirrel '78, gymnast, Animaniacs; Secret Squirrel ’77, gymnastics; "Agent 000"; Benno C. Schmidt, Jr., hockey, onetime President of Yale.

Yale is a place filled with extraordinary rodents who are characterized by a multitude of talents and skills and furry coats, bright eyes and bushy tails. Rather than waste time focusing on our differences or divisions, let us unite and channel our nervous squirrel energy toward solving the larger issues in the local trees and around the globe. We are all privileged to be Yalie squirrels. We should disregard any differences that might exist and celebrate our gifts and achievements and dens and big front teeth and nuts together.

Stephen Squirrelhofer and David Silbersquirrel are squirreleniors in Jonathan Edwards' and Ezra Stiles' Courtyard trees, respectively. They are members of the Yale furball team.

wow

I 'm not much into squirels but I am very fond of Beavers!

Come on Old Campus, show us your beavers!

I live in the same dorm as this girl and the squirrels get confused. They've started to come in all of the windows. They chew my clothes, eat my food, and run around the room at night. I'm afraid they'll start nesting in my hair while I'm asleep. I can't close the window because there's no air conditioning and it's really hot. It's very irresponsible to feed squirrels in a communal dorm. Private homes are a different matter. The squirrels have started creating a problem and I'm afraid people will start putting out poison to control what they see as "pests." Do the squirrels a favor and let them find their own nuts in trees where they are happy.

N. 13 -- that's what I was worried about in April. Maybe over the summer, with students not around, the squirrels will "unlearn" bad habits. The story made it sound as if the they needed that "bathrobe belt" to get in the window from the trees -- can that be removed. I have not heard of people other than those in the Dean's or Master's house getting to live in residential colleges over the summer (with a/c), but, you yourself might want to think about asking if there are screens for your window if for nothing else, to keep the bugs out.

I KNOW! i worry about this all the time. these squirrels are OUT OF CONTROL. there are all over. every where i love. crouching in every crevice. scurrying in every corner. and where is the university when you actually need them on a relevant issue - ? predictably silent.

Oh. Such fond memories of the squirrels at Yale. They were absolutely insane and brazen!!! One day my sophomore year, I came home to my dorm to find a note on my TV left by an architect who had come to take some measurements for changes to be made to my dorm during the summer. The note informed me that the architect had to chase a squirrel out of my room who had been eating my Quaker Oatmeal. It also informed me that I should throw away said oatmeal that I found spread all over my carpet.

I remember my friends and I always being afraid of the squirrels who always came a little too close those days we decided to study outside. In the JE courtyard, the picnic tables were off limits--they were squirrel territory.

Well, at least we can rest easy in the knowledge that the squirrels try to eat healthy (Quaker Oatmeal) when they can. But with only a note how can we eliminate the possibility this "architect" was perhaps a bit bright eyed and bushy-tailed, perhaps with buck teeth, so that it might have been architect rather than squirrel, who spilled the oatmeal, only to try to scape-rodent an unsuspecting Yale squirrel population.

Informative article, nice work YDN.

Equally as important is the fact that "April" apparently has quite the figure. An athlete? No offense, April, trying to make a polite compliment without being sketchy.

Vy ochen milaya!

Figure, #18?!?!

Are you talking about the same photo above depicting a thin person with a squirrel mounting her leg?