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Friday, 29 March 2024

Former director documents battle against squirrels living on his roof

Credit: SWNS STUDIO
Duration: 01:46s 0 shares 3 views

Former director documents battle against squirrels living on his roof
Former director documents battle against squirrels living on his roof

The former director of the California Republican Party has been documenting a two week long battle against squirrels living on his roof.Mike Madrid, 48, a political consultant from Sacramento, CA, is used to doing battle with various members of America's political elite, but now he's in the fight of his life against an army of bushy-tailed foes."It started about two weeks ago," Madrid said of the squirrel invasion.   "It started with this one squirrel, probably the father squirrel.

He was scratching under the eaves while I worked and I'd look up and notice him."He'd look at me and I'd look at him, he had no fear at all.

We'd have these minute long staring sessions.

After a while the scratching got louder and louder." What started off as a mild territorial dispute quickly evolved into a shock and awe campaign as the squirrels' numbers rapidly increased. "After I started to post about it [on Twitter] there was a female too," he said. "Then a few days later these other little heads popped out." Madrid has been documenting the protracted conflict through a series of tongue-in-cheek tweets on his personal Twitter, @madrid_mike, and has received an extraordinary range of advice on how to deal with the problem.On April 20th, Madrid posted: "I am at war with this squirrel.

For the past week he's decided to make a home in an eave above my ceiling and I can hear his every move.

All day."He's since tweeted frequent updates about the saga in order to keep his followers in the loop, using the the hashtag #SquirrelWars and occasionally overlaying some mood music."I'm in isolation by myself.

This is my only interaction with living creatures at the moment, so I started creating a narrative about what's going on," Madrid said. "I've tried to play some music and get them out.

I called people for different remedies.

It's been a little like Elmer Fudd vs Bugs Bunny. "People have been saying get a gun, use rat poison, play heavy metal music.

Other people have said they'll send money to rescue the squirrels as long as I don't hurt them."But for all the trouble the squirrels have given him, Madrid has no plans to resort to violence. "I'm not gonna kill them," he said.  "I'm just recording everyday scenes that are happening as I go.

I get people from all over the world asking: 'what's going on today with the squirrels?'

It's become a little job." With thousands of retweets and favorites, Madrid is getting online attention like he's never had before. "It's fun but it's created a little pressure," Madrid said about his growing audience. "As the audience grows, so does the pressure, but I'm enjoying that it's bringing people a little levity during this difficult time."There's not a lot of good stuff out there and this gives people a little chuckle.

It's nice to be able to do that."That said, I need to end it pretty quick.

It's not going to be a children's book or comic strip.

I need to get back to work. "I'm going a little stir crazy," he continued regarding his time in quarantine. "You start to notice things everyday and you start to focus on things that are a little more present.

In a lot of ways when you look out your window there's a lot going outside."In a desperate bid to change the tide, Madrid claimed that he recently conscripted a flock of crows perched on his neighbor's house to fight against the squirrels on his behalf. At this time, however, the crows' allegiance is still unknown. 

The former director of the California Republican Party has been documenting a two week long battle against squirrels living on his roof.Mike Madrid, 48, a political consultant from Sacramento, CA, is used to doing battle with various members of America's political elite, but now he's in the fight of his life against an army of bushy-tailed foes."It started about two weeks ago," Madrid said of the squirrel invasion.

"It started with this one squirrel, probably the father squirrel.

He was scratching under the eaves while I worked and I'd look up and notice him."He'd look at me and I'd look at him, he had no fear at all.

We'd have these minute long staring sessions.

After a while the scratching got louder and louder." What started off as a mild territorial dispute quickly evolved into a shock and awe campaign as the squirrels' numbers rapidly increased.

"After I started to post about it [on Twitter] there was a female too," he said.

"Then a few days later these other little heads popped out." Madrid has been documenting the protracted conflict through a series of tongue-in-cheek tweets on his personal Twitter, @madrid_mike, and has received an extraordinary range of advice on how to deal with the problem.On April 20th, Madrid posted: "I am at war with this squirrel.

For the past week he's decided to make a home in an eave above my ceiling and I can hear his every move.

All day."He's since tweeted frequent updates about the saga in order to keep his followers in the loop, using the the hashtag #SquirrelWars and occasionally overlaying some mood music."I'm in isolation by myself.

This is my only interaction with living creatures at the moment, so I started creating a narrative about what's going on," Madrid said.

"I've tried to play some music and get them out.

I called people for different remedies.

It's been a little like Elmer Fudd vs Bugs Bunny.

"People have been saying get a gun, use rat poison, play heavy metal music.

Other people have said they'll send money to rescue the squirrels as long as I don't hurt them."But for all the trouble the squirrels have given him, Madrid has no plans to resort to violence.

"I'm not gonna kill them," he said.

"I'm just recording everyday scenes that are happening as I go.

I get people from all over the world asking: 'what's going on today with the squirrels?'

It's become a little job." With thousands of retweets and favorites, Madrid is getting online attention like he's never had before.

"It's fun but it's created a little pressure," Madrid said about his growing audience.

"As the audience grows, so does the pressure, but I'm enjoying that it's bringing people a little levity during this difficult time."There's not a lot of good stuff out there and this gives people a little chuckle.

It's nice to be able to do that."That said, I need to end it pretty quick.

It's not going to be a children's book or comic strip.

I need to get back to work.

"I'm going a little stir crazy," he continued regarding his time in quarantine.

"You start to notice things everyday and you start to focus on things that are a little more present.

In a lot of ways when you look out your window there's a lot going outside."In a desperate bid to change the tide, Madrid claimed that he recently conscripted a flock of crows perched on his neighbor's house to fight against the squirrels on his behalf.

At this time, however, the crows' allegiance is still unknown.

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