Mar
30
Written by:
Brian
3/30/2009 5:34 AM
You may have noticed them tiptoeing in branches of trees, along high lines or scampering across streets in front of cars: squirrels with receding hairlines.
Increasing numbers of balding squirrels.
In Wichita.
And Salina.
And wherever there are large populations of squirrels.
The hairlines are the start of the classic symptoms of notoedric mange, said Charlie Cope, wildlife biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Wichita.
The animal first experiences hair loss over the chest and shoulders, Cope said. The mange then eventually spreads over the entire body, causing the animal to become nearly bald.
It doesn't mean that the squirrels are sick but that they have mites living on their skin.
There's not much that can be done for the squirrels.
"It's associated with the density of animals," said Matt Peek, a wildlife research biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in Emporia. "The mites are transmitted by contact or are in close association with other squirrels who are using the same nests or dens."
If the hairless squirrels are in your backyard? Don't worry. Other species of animals, such as dogs and cats, are not susceptible to the squirrel's mites.
Biologists say the reason some Wichitans may be seeing more numbers of receding hairlines on squirrels is the weather.
Before this winter, the Wichita area had two cold winters that not only helped kill the mites but froze the squirrels that were carrying the bugs, thus causing fewer animals to come down with the mange.
This winter was milder, and the mites and hairless squirrels flourished.
Chances are the squirrels may survive this season and eventually grow back some of their hair, Peek said.
Riverside resident Dane Short was one of those people who noticed strange squirrels scampering in his yard.
"I first noticed this little one was a real bright orange. It went on for a bit and then I noticed the squirrel was changing colors, like orange and brown," Short said. "And then my mail carrier said it looks like they are losing their hair."
And indeed, some of his squirrels were becoming hairless.
"I noticed the other squirrels wouldn't have anything to do" with the ones that were losing hair, he said. "We have lots of squirrels in Riverside, but the hairless ones we saw were always by themselves."
Biologists simply recommend a "hands-off'" policy for any creature in the wild.
"It's best to leave the wild animals alone," Cope said. "Let nature take its course."
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