These days it seems impossible to leave your home without seeing a squirrel or two
or fifty cross your path. But did you know squirrels aren't native to urban areas? Back in 1856, an escaped pet squirrel in New York City drew a crowd of over a hundred people gawking at the tiny animal, having never set eyes on a real one before!
Believe it or not, squirrels were actually introduced to parks away from their native forests by humans as a part of city beautification. It all began in Philadelphia in 1847. The city released three wild squirrels into Franklin Square, providing them with food and shelter. The public loved it - soon after, the city began planting nut-bearing trees just for the squirrels. Park-goers loudly expressed their wish to see squirrels in parks in every major city across the nation.
The squirrel craze officially took off in the 1870's during a movement in Central Park to bring nature to the common city-dwelling worker. It was argued that the average working man would never find the time or the money to travel outside of the cities they lived in, and squirrels would provide a way for people to experience nature and wildlife. Conservationists and naturalists argued that seeing the fuzzy little creatures would promote interest in an compassion for animals. Ernest Thompson, one of the founders of the Boy Scouts, even claimed that feeding squirrels would help cure cruel streaks often found in young boys at the time. A handful of squirrels were relocated to the park, and in only six years, had surged to over a thousand. At the same time, all around America, squirrel populations were rapidly expanding due to urbanization.
[
source]
