In Italy, the brave people of Liguria, Piemonte and Lombardia are taking arms against a tough invader. An American invader, Sciurus carolinensis, the gray squirrel. Gray squirrels came to Italy after WWII, and are stealing food and habitat from their smaller European cousins, red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris). Those ruthless, bushy-tailed Yanks have even resorted to germ warfare, carrying diseases lethal to local rodents.
“Basta!” said the Italians, mounting a 2 million Euro defense. Under the leadership of zoologist Andrea Balduzzi they’re trapping and sterilizing squirrels in their parks. And squirrels caught outside park borders? Firing squad. War is Hell.
More:
“Parte la guerra allo scoiattolo grigio,” Alessandra Pieracci, La Stampa
English-language summary:
“Squirrel Wars: Italy Vows To Eliminate Its American Invaders,” Worldcrunch
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Tags: Europe, gray squirrels, grey squirrels, invasive species, Italy, scoiattolo grigio, squirrels
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