January 25, 2023 (vol. 132, iss. 102) • Page Image 2
…It’s nearly impossible to walk through the the University of Michigan’s Diag without seeing a number of squirrels roaming around. While these furry little pals have come to be a…
…. “There’s never really a good reason to touch squirrels,” Dantzer said. In regards to the hairless Diag icons, Dantzer said there is not much anyone can do to help the squirrels because their…
… central part of the identity of the University for many U-M students, the squirrels are facing an important issue: hair loss. In an interview with The Michigan Daily, LSA freshman Rosemary…
… Frederiksen said she was shocked when she first saw a squirrel with prominent hair loss. “I was really scared,” said Frederiksen. “I thought someone had shaved it.” Ben Dantzer, U-M associate…
… professor of psychology, ecology and evolutionary biology, told The Daily the squirrels are likely losing hair because of mange, a mammalian skin disease caused by mites or fungal infection…
… burrow and cause damage to the skin, which eventually causes the hair to fall out. Squirrels can lose their hair due to fungal infections too.” Dantzer said a possible mange or contagious…
… fungal infection could spread among squirrels as they engage in social interactions and explained how students feeding squirrels can increase the chance of infections spreading among them…
…. “One thing that can increase contact (between squirrels) is feeding the squirrels (because it) increase(s) aggregations of them,” Dantzer said. “(It is the same idea as) going to a crowded…
….” Dantzer also said it is ill- advised to ever touch a squirrel, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states no one should ever touch a wild animal because of the risk of disease…
….” Many students also pointed how the campus squirrels appear to be incredibly overweight. Squirrels tend to gain weight for the winter in order to store energy when it is harder to find food…