Wanted in Tilburg: a Pallas’ squirrel, female or male, olive green to brown-gray fur and a possibly orange-red belly, 16 to 28 centimeters, can gnaw and reproduce like the best. Don’t pick it up, but email the municipality.
The municipality of Tilburg asks residents to look out for a Pallas’ squirrel. The rodent was spotted ‘in the wild’ in the city at the beginning of this week. A resident of Tilburg spotted the animal at the Burgemeester van de Mortelplein, towards the Baroniebaan. It was reported to the municipality because it was seen as an unknown and especially dangerous guest.
Pallas’s squirrels are not wanted
This squirrel may have been kept as a pet and escaped from a cage. Or deliberately kicked out of the house, just like people want to get rid of their rabbits or turtles. An employee of the municipality of Tilburg cannot comment on the latter. He also does not know where the ‘alien’ comes from, but he does know that the rodent does not belong in our country.
Unlike a number of other squirrel species, the Pallas’ variant is considered a so-called invasive exotic species. Then you end up on a European list of plants or dangerous animals that do not belong here, because they can damage our nature.
Green mamba
It is the second time in a short time that the municipality of Tilburg is drawing attention to an animal that has (possibly) escaped and for which it is important that it is captured quickly. Recently a green mamba, a poisonous snake, kept people busy. Ultimately, this reptile was found in the owner’s home – hiding behind a plaster wall.
A Pallas’s squirrel is not poisonous, but the animal should not be underestimated. Why else would the municipality have raised the alarm? Pallas’s can displace the native red squirrel and the now established Siberian ground squirrels. They can also breed with other squirrels. Then you have all the puppets dancing, because Pallas’s, no matter how small, can cause major damage. For example, they can bite wooden roof structures and telephone cables into pieces. Trees are also not safe from these voracious relatives.
‘Prevent large population’
The municipality of Tilburg is therefore committed to keeping the animal off the streets. The spokesperson: “With this we hope to prevent such a large population developing, as in France, for example, that nothing can be done about it.”
Years ago, the Mammal Society asked people to be extra alert for the Pallas’ squirrel. The reason was the escape of a number of this species in Weert, Limburg. It was also this organization that took action after a Tilburg resident brought Pallas’s squirrel to the attention of the public via observation.nl. She takes the report of the fugitive very seriously, even though this species has been on the European prohibited list since 2017 and its exponents have hardly been seen since. The municipality and the province have therefore been urgently advised to catch the animal.
People who think they have encountered the Pallas’ squirrel do not need to call the police. An email with precise location and contact details to [email protected] is already enough.
Last month, Tilburg was under the spell of the green mamba: