Save the Squirrels

As an instructor at College of the Canyons, I am extremely disturbed and saddened by the proposal to poison the campus squirrels. The anti-coagulant poison causes internal hemorrhaging and a slow, excruciating death. Animals linger in agony for up to two weeks before dying. Birds, hawks and other animals, including pets, are endangered. They eat the dead squirrels, or they eat the bait, which looks like food.

Humane methods of removing squirrels are not as convenient as killing them off, but they are certainly kinder. For example, animals can be caught in humane traps, then released in an undeveloped area. Most of us enjoy watching the antics of the little animals and appreciate the small touch of nature right outside our classrooms. It is heartbreaking to think of the horrible deaths they’d be sentenced to.

MARYANN HAMMERS, Northridge