Eastern Grey Squirrels Thrive in New York City

The Squirrel Experts
The Eastern Grey Squirrel

In big city urban landscapes it isn’t unusual to find a diverse population of wildlife. In Manhattan, grey squirrels are populating the city and doing rather well.

In a study by Dr. Bill Bateman, grey squirrel behavior was the target of observation to determine the squirrels’ interaction with pedestrians using the same pathways in their chosen areas.

The study focused on whether squirrels held their ground, so to speak, when approached, whether direct eye contact made a difference in their decision to stay or flee, flight initiation distance, and how far each individual squirrel fled when approached.

It seems squirrels are quite adaptable when it comes to interacting with humans as a small percentage – 5 percent – moved off a sidewalk or pathway when a pedestrian approached and looked at them. In the squirrels eyes, this was predictable behavior. Interestingly enough, a whopping 90 percent moved away if the pedestrian moved off of the shared sidewalk while making eye contact because it was unpredictable.

More research is underway at Curtin and Murdoch University to study and understand how NYC squirrel control can be better adapted to maintain their habitat in urban environments while keeping both squirrels and humans sharing the same locations, safe.

If squirrels have invaded your territory and set up housekeeping, contact Stern Environmental Group. NYC squirrel control is just one of our many specialties when it comes to providing humane pest control.