“Someone Noticed 🐿
Last summer, during the scorching heat of a Texas evening, Breyana Elwell and her husband opted to relax on their front porch as the temperature began to drop. To ward off flying insects while they sat, they set up an electric fan to create a cooling breeze throughout the night.
“The following day, as I stepped out with my toddler to enjoy some patio time,” Elwell shared with The Dodo, “I turned the fan on again and forgot to switch it off when we returned indoors.”
Unbeknownst to them, the fan had caught the attention of another visitor. “An hour later, I noticed a squirrel sprawled out right in front of it, relishing the gentle breeze,” Elwell recounted.
This behavior, known as splooting, involves an animal stretching out in a shady spot to maximize cooling. “I found it adorable, but I also felt empathy,” Elwell admitted. “It was an exceptionally hot summer last year, and we were in the midst of a drought.”
Instead of removing the fan indoors, Elwell decided to do the opposite. She brought out additional fans to accommodate more squirrels seeking relief from the heat simultaneously.
Furthermore, she began leaving out water and snacks for her unexpected furry guests.
Surprisingly, Elwell confessed that she hadn’t held a particularly favorable view of squirrels before. “They’re essentially rats with fancy tails,” she remarked. However, witnessing the squirrels seeking relief from the heat on her porch sparked a change of heart.
Since then, Elwell and her family have gone the extra mile for their fluffy-tailed neighbors.
“We now have a whole squirrel resort,” she chuckled. “We’ve got multiple fans going, water stations set up, and we even constructed a ‘catwalk’ in the trees for them.”
The squirrels at Elwell’s residence are living the high life.
Today, the squirrels in Elwell’s vicinity enjoy cool breezes, abundant food, and ample hydration, ensuring their well-being even in the toughest weather conditions.
For someone who wasn’t previously enamored with squirrels, Elwell finds herself surprised by her newfound role as one of their biggest advocates, remarking, “If you had told me years ago that I’d be doing what I do now, I wouldn’t have believed you.”