“Spot: Living Under the Roof” by Urban Squirrels, Part 1 of 2

Urban Squirrels is a UK-based rescue and advocacy organization dedicated to the care and protection of grey squirrel-people. Today, we are joined by Natalia Doran and Nadia Raud, creators of “Spot: Living Under the Roof.” “It is a very big problem here in this country. There are two types of squirrels, red and grey. There are lots and lots of grey squirrels and not so many red ones. The narrative, that is rather pernicious, is that grey squirrels are an introduced species. But instead, people choose to cull them, kill them quite extensively, which is very cruel, and even take measures against rescue.” “We go to various charity fairs like vegan fairs, animal charity events, etc.… We hand out lots of leaflets with the information to talk to people. People like grey squirrels, and they don’t like the idea of them being killed.”

“About four years ago in the park, I found a baby squirrel. And to be honest, for me, the grey squirrel, it’s a symbol of London because everyone loves to go to the park and can see the squirrels.” “Urban Squirrels has been going on for about 10 years, and I started it with my son, who is a young adult with autism. He actually got his diploma in animal care. Eventually, we expanded and licensed another site, which Nadia now runs. Squirrels do very well in rescue.” “They are clearly vulnerable because they’re so heavily persecuted in this country, but they’re also very strong. They’re the ultimate survivors. They’re very intelligent, very tenacious. Exeter University conducted some research measuring their cognitive abilities. They’re extremely high. They are amazing little animals.”