Sat Aug 23, 2025 12:00 AM
Last update on: Sat Aug 23, 2025 02:49 PM

Once, the rooftops, orchards, and gardens of Bangladesh stirred with the restless energy of squirrels. They darted through mango and jackfruit trees, their striped bodies flickering like quicksilver among the leaves. Children watched in delight as they leapt from branch to branch, while elders placed offerings of rice in clay pots for their tiny guests.

The Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum), with its three pale stripes and plume-like tail, was more than just a familiar sight. It was a gardener of the wild—scattering seeds, carrying pollen, and sounding alarm calls that rippled through the village fauna. Yet, slowly and silently, these bright-eyed creatures are slipping away. Their absence is not loud or sudden, but like the fading of a season, it unsettles the balance of nature itself.

“Squirrels are sensitive indicators of ecosystem health. If they’re declining, it signals that something has gone wrong at the very foundation,” laments Dr Tareque Hasan, Wildlife Ecologist at Dhaka University.

Why are the squirrels disappearing?

Indian Palm Squirrel. PHOTO:
MUHAMMAD MAHDI KARIM/ WIKIMEDIA

“>

Indian Palm Squirrel. PHOTO:
MUHAMMAD MAHDI KARIM/ WIKIMEDIA

1. Choking on pollution

Pesticides sprayed on crops and gardens do more than kill pests—they poison food chains. Squirrels, who nibble on fruits, seeds, and even bark, often ingest these toxins directly or accumulate them over time. Meanwhile, air pollution from vehicles and brick kilns has been linked to respiratory stress in small mammals.

2. Loss of trees, loss of homes

Squirrels nest in tree hollows, dense foliage, and even thatched roofs. But with urbanisation and deforestation speeding up across Bangladesh, their habitats are disappearing. Fruit trees are cut down to make room for concrete. Old trees are replaced with fast-growing, non-native species that lack suitable nesting spaces. The few remaining trees are often isolated, pruned, or sprayed with chemicals, making them inhospitable to wildlife.

3. Noise and human disturbance

Construction noise, fireworks, loudspeakers, and unregulated tourism in natural spaces all take a toll. Squirrels are skittish by nature—when stress becomes chronic, their reproductive rates drop, and young fail to survive. Even something as innocent as a curious child chasing a squirrel up a tree can disrupt its feeding or nesting cycle if repeated often enough.

4. Predation and road Accidents

With shrinking green spaces, squirrels are forced to forage on the ground, putting them in the path of feral cats, dogs, and speeding vehicles. Roadkill incidents involving squirrels are quietly increasing across urban fringes.

An orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel leaps between trees in Rangamati’s Kaptai National Park. Found across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China, this arboreal rodent is herbivorous and known for its agility. Its dark or reddish-brown fur contrasts with its striking orange belly, making it one of the region’s most colourful squirrels. Usually solitary except in breeding season, its numbers are dwindling due to deforestation. The IUCN lists the species as “Near Threatened.” PHOTO: NOBEL CHAKMA

“>

An orange-bellied Himalayan squirrel leaps between trees in Rangamati’s Kaptai National Park. Found across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and China, this arboreal rodent is herbivorous and known for its agility. Its dark or reddish-brown fur contrasts with its striking orange belly, making it one of the region’s most colourful squirrels. Usually solitary except in breeding season, its numbers are dwindling due to deforestation. The IUCN lists the species as “Near Threatened.” PHOTO: NOBEL CHAKMA