I thought I had a very special photo opportunity when I caught this squirrel enjoying a french fry. Upon reflection, however, it occurred to me that this my observation might not be a particularly unique phenomenon, New York City or otherwise. A little searching turned up other photos on Flickr and videos on YouTube.
Everything about this city conspires to make it a haven for scavengers. The population density along with the waste so conveniently available makes it a veritable smorgasbord for those creatures who find the city hospitable. It is estimated that there are more rats than people in New York.
Squirrels are a curious phenomenon. As rodents, they share a family (technically an Order) with rats and mice but are looked on more fondly. They scavenge but yet are still fed, watched and even doted over. The attraction is understandable - they are not as furtive in their behavior - they don't slink through the darkness of subways. And, they are arguably much more attractive than other rodents - many would say beautiful. I'm not sure why, but I see many visitors to the city stop and interact with squirrels with a look of extreme fascination - I'm not sure whether it is the relative rarity of squirrels in their home locale or perhaps the emboldened character of a city squirrel and how easily and closely they can be approached.
I've looked over the list of slogans used by McDonalds over the years, beginning in 1961, to see what might be an adequate caption for this photo if the golden arches were to use it for their advertising. How about their 2003 slogan based on Justin Timberlake's song - "i'm lovin' it" ?
10 comments:
Isnt that the same rail like the one on the "cosmetics" photo?
Great slogan for your photo. Love that squirrel. He's so cute. Can't believe there's more rats in NY than people. That's astounding. Hope all is well.
Bash-D
Very observant - yes it was. That was the day for rodents in Washington Square Park.
Michele - Thanks.
Good work food and cute animals.
I'm lovin' it too.
Location is everything. We don't have squirrels on my island so for me it's fabulous image. You are spot on with your observation, but nonetheless, timing, opportunity and plain old gumption to capture it have produced a cutie.
I'm convinced we love squirrels because they use their "hands" in a very human-like manner. If they had opposable thumbs, they'd be monkeys.
Squirrels are very cool and they all know that they are photogenic.
A squirrel is a rat who lives in a tree.
The belief that there are more rats than people in New York [City] is urban legend (http://www.snopes.com/critters/wild/rats.asp), unless a new study has come out.
I think of squirrels as lovable freeloaders. I agree with Mary that our fascination with squirrels is due in part on the use of their forepaws.
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