Joypurhat's squirrels in danger
A favourite toy truck, climbing a coconut palm, the smell of fresh mangoes: there's little sweeter than a childhood memory to remind of simpler times, of a place where we most belong. For generations of residents in Joypurhat, any description of childhood can hardly be complete without mention of the humble northern palm squirrel.
“We like to watch as they zigzag, scamper up a tree trunk,” says Ratan Roy of Joypurhat's Panchbibi upazila. “We enjoy the art in their eating habits, as they hold some morsel in their tiny claws. We are accustomed to how they suddenly freeze when frightened. Every day before our eyes the squirrels are busily living their lives; but for our visiting relatives and guests it's an uncommon experience. Some have never seen a squirrel before.”
The bushy-tailed inhabitants are everywhere to be seen in Joypurhat town, living on seeds, fruits and nuts, and during the winter nibbling on crops including beans and carrots. They build their treetop homes, called dreys, twice or thrice a year to breed, according to locals.
Northwest Bangladesh once flourished with wildlife. Until the end of the nineteenth century the region featured tigers, buffaloes and wild boars in good number. But nowadays these mammals are gone; jackals and foxes can still be found, and of course the squirrels, though their numbers are also dwindling.
According to Dinajpur local Shahiduzzaman a drop in the number of squirrels over the last two decades is apparent. “Squirrels avoid fruit trees where pesticide is sprayed. Many trees have been felled over the years. The squirrels face food shortage,” he says, suggesting reasons for the population decline.
“Due to fewer trees in general, squirrels often inhabit roadside trees,” says Joypurhat journalist Momen Moony. “Many of these trees do not produce fruit, so the squirrels need to come to the ground in search of food, and many die under the wheels of vehicles.”
In addition, the planting of eucalyptus has further reduced squirrel habitat, since squirrels avoid the non-native tree species.
Meanwhile, according to Shafiul Alam from Joypurhat's Akkelpur upazila some locals mix poison with favoured squirrel food like nuts, concerned that the rodents will devour their winter vegetable crops. “Squirrels can still be found,” he says, “but initiatives must be taken to protect them.”
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