TRURSDAY, OCT. 3, 1968
Reports Os Squirrel Starvation
Are Not Substantial
RALEIGH, N. C. The find
ings of biolog sts of the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources
Commission and other scen
tists indicate that earlier re
ports of mass starvation of gray
squ'rrels are not substantiated
by laboratory examination.
In response to reports of mass
starvation and mass migration
of gray squirlels, a study was
in tia ed by the North Carolina
Wildlife Resources Commission.
Os particular concern were the
reports that squirrels were star*
v ng to dea.h and arrangements
were made for examination of
specimens collected at random
in the woods and salvageable
road-kills. Biologists conduct ng
the study reported that all of
the squirrels examined to date
were in good flesh and all but
two had their stomachs stuffed
full of food.
Os about 50 lettels rece ved by
the Wildlife Commission, only
one indicated that dead squir
rels had been seen n the woods.
Upon being contacted, however,
this person said that the dead
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squirrels he had seen were ac
tually load-kills. Wildlife man
agement a~ea personnel who
made a search for dead squ r
rels in the woods reported they
have found none.
Another interesting aspect of
this study revealed that a large
number of the squirrels exam
ined were young of the yea”. A
random collection of 24 an mats
in the ' .rest ncth anl west r J!
Asheville consisted of one adult
avl juveniles. Os another 17
animals collects! north and
w«-st of Morganto't, five were
small juven les and several of
the others which we-e nei>r
adult size were also juveniles.
This high proportion of juven
iles cons rms earlier speculation
of an unusually high reproduc
tion rate last spring; this pre
sumably as a result of the gen
erally good mast crop last fall.
Hie age of the young squirrels
examined indicates that most of
them were born in early spring.
Whenever there is a heavy crop
of young, it is normal for them
to move into new territory in
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the early fall and this year the
movement was somewhat more
pronounced than usual.
Examination of road-kills by a
rep'esentative of the Smithson
ian Institution confirms Commis
sion findings as to age and con
dition of the squirrels. "We
can find no ev dence of starva
tion,” said Dr. V. Flyger of the
University of Maryland.
Contact with offic als from
neighboring states revealed sim
ilar condit ons in Georgia and
Tennessee. In Georgia, the “mi
gration” was confined to the
northern mountain count'es, but
in Tennessee, squirrels we-e oa
the move over most of the state.
Virginia reported some move
ment and an unusually high
rat o of juveniles in the popula
tion. Many road kills were re
ported in Tennessee and Geor
gia, but only the usual number
for this time of year in V rgin
ia and South Carolina.
Road-kills in North Carol'na
appear to be concentrated in
sections of normally heavy traf
fic such as 1-40, 1-26, U. S. 19,
23 and 70, at low elevations, and
in local ties whe-e food is pre
sent. On one 179-mile route, 289
dead squirrels were counted,
and it was estimated that this
represented a two-weeks accu
mulation. Th's is ave-y small
percentage of the total popula
tion.
In most sections, field obser
vations indicated that squirrel
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movement is starting to subside
and this was also ndicated by
telephone reports from neigh
boring sta’es. The report from
Georgia indicated that the nor
mal post-summer movement
started “soon after September
7” and that it s now about over.
What we have apparently ob
served is a movement of squir
rels away from areas where food
is less abundant and a concen
tration of animals in areas
where food is more abundant.
This includes city parks and re
sidential areas, com fields and
orchards, as well as areas of
abundant mast in more remote
localities.
There has not been any equip
rel food famine in North Caro
lina. The squirrel’s diet cons sts
of a wde variety of fruits and
vegetable mate~ials including
even bark and buds, all of which
are in abundant supply at this
season of the year. But bonus
foods such as com and scratch
grain put out by sympathet c
citizens are always a welcome
addition.
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ImL
THE YANCEY
Bill To
Eliminate
Freeze On
Highway Funds
WASHINGTON - U. S. Rep.
Roy A. Taylor (D-N. C.) Thurs
day introduced a bill to elim -
nae the present freese on fed
eral highway funds.
The President announced the
60-day cutback earlier this
month. Congressman Taylor im
med ately protested, urging that
budgetary reductions be made
elsewhere.
His bill, if enacted, would eli
minate the highway trust fund
as a place where budget cute
could be made under the law.
Congress passed earler this
year calling for a $6 billion
roll-back in spending.
“Os all places, the highway
. trust fund is the last where
spend ng cuts should be made.
Certainly, it was not the intent
of Congress to reduct the high
way program when it called for
budget reductions. This freese
of hghway fluids loes not save
any money, it just postpones
badly needed highway construc
tion,” Taylor declared.