Tuxedo the squirrel
A few years ago, I was delighted to see an opossum in the back yard. What a surprise to find this North American relative of the kangaroo so close to home. We saw the little creature regularly for a few days and then, it disappeared. I feared the worst when I noticed a little animal body, obviously run over by a car, on a nearby thoroughfare. It was our marsupial friend.
On a far too regular basis we encounter raccoons, squirrels or cats who have met the same fate.
You could ease the burden of it by saying “it was a regular outdoor animal, living a regular outdoor animal life and dying a regular outdoor animal death.”
And yet, some of these creatures become a much loved part of our lives.
Here is a letter from Lisa who regularly walks in the natural areas of the city.
“Hi Miles,
There is a squirrel in my neighbourhood that I have always noticed and loved that is apparently quite famous, as I discovered when I looked it up online. It is a rare Tuxedo Squirrel, and everyone in the neighbourhood takes pictures of it and posts messages every month relating to sightings–well, I was the one unfortunate enough to discover its body lying across the road just in front of the Sports Field on Sussex before Robert Street, at 11:30 this morning. I was the one who picked up its still warm body, stroked its fur, and wept over it.”
