Squirrel found dead on Trellis playground

by The Trellis Occasional Staff

On the morning of January 26th, students playing on the playground at Trellis found a squirrel that appeared to be dead.

Students immediately sought assistance from an adult, and Trellis’s natural history class arrived quickly thereafter.

“This is the first time that I know that we have found a dead animal,” Jen Herzig Smith, Trellis Creative Director said, when asked if anything like this had happened before.

Students gathered around the body, discussing what could have happened. Though it was sad, the situation presented an opportunity.

It was a chance to not only observe an animal up close, but also to take the time to address its death. 

“We were sad that it died, but we were grateful to get to look so closely at how it lived,” said Trina Jaconi Biery, teacher of the natural history class at Trellis.

After looking at the squirrel, the cause of death could not be confirmed. Though common speculation was that it had possibly eaten rat poison.

According to iere.org some symptoms of rat poison can cause seizures, lethargy, bleeding, and swelling.

However, Jaconi Biery said she did not notice any swelling on the body of the squirrel when she handled it. So it can’t be proven definitively. 

The body was removed around half an hour after it was discovered, using proper care.

“Well, nobody really knows the story of what happened,” Trellis student Luzella said.

And indeed, what truly happened might never be known, but we are glad for this learning opportunity.

If you have any insights as to what could have happened, please email us at theoccasional@trellislearning.org. We’d love to hear from you!