We’ve released 803 squirrels at an airport - here’s why

[@MossyEarth]

🐿️ If you would like to support these strange but impactful projects you can become a member here mossy.earth/ . We keep things simple, trying to solve only a few specific problems at a time and making sure things get done properly. The only way we can do this is because of you. So a huge thank you to everyone who has made this possible! - Cheers, Duarte

[@jesipohl6717]

please do this in berlin we have so much space for it. maybe at old tegel airport even.

[@Hallo85000]

Is there any updates about the Icelandic project?

[@michaelmcdougal8600]

Holyshit regardless of anything else she is one sexy creature and I'm not talking about those squirrels

[@dgalloway107]

So why is the thumbnail showing prairie dogs?

[@dgalloway107]

We have tons of prairie dogs in colorado. Everywhere i look i find them actually.

[@bradmakesgains8779]

The title sounds like a prank video

[@MossyEarth]

😅 I promise you its a rewilding project! Enjoy the video :) - cheers, Duarte

[@SoulViv0r]

Fo real💀

[@rishabhkiradoo5445]

Lol😂

[@AllTheHappySquirrels]

The best kind of prank - for science and conservation! 😍

[@airedale1913]

If that makes some new people watch it and gets them on board, then amazing! 🐿️

[@hazza.sheesh3953]

Its so amazing that this community has managed to help change the future of so many species

[@MossyEarth]

Exactly! We are always baffled at how people have come together to help us get these projects on their way. - Cheers, Duarte

[@maxwalsh234]

🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

[@megazillasaurus]

I will change the future of tuataras, they will no longer be confined to new zealand, they will be on all continents except antarctica, like their ancestors were during the mesozoic

[@msdadsfsx]

what if squirrel cuts airplane wires?

[@2MinuteHockey]

are you the narrator? Where is that accent from?@@MossyEarth

[@adamkiraly7866]

I love seeing rewinding projects near urban areas, I think it’s important to reconnect people and nature

[@MossyEarth]

Agreed! We need to find a few urban rewilding opportunities! - Cheers, Duarte

[@joywebster2678]

What is rewinding?

[@shovethatupyaNSmokeit]

​@joywebster2678 it's a film going backwards. However I think they meant to say "rewilding"

[@christianelila3374]

@@joywebster2678 He ment to say rewilding, which means bringing nature back

[@joywebster2678]

@@christianelila3374 shocking

[@MC-zu5lj]

Hey, it's not entirely extinct in Poland. There were numorous programs reintroducing them to southern part of Poland. We have already about 2000-3000 those squirells and that number is growing :)

[@MossyEarth]

Yes in the video we meant that it went extinct there in the past. There are indeed many projects to bring them back there! - Cheers, Duarte

[@wawrzynieckorzen78]

And one of the places they live is also an airport near Lublin, so at first I thought you made a video about that place.

[@Sksk27547]

I live in America. I see them here now more often. I live in a city.

[@raerohan4241]

​@@Sksk27547 Probably because Americans tend to have large lawns even in huge cities, which is not the case in most of Europe.

[@coltrv]

@@Sksk27547 if you’re in American then you’re seeing a completely different species. This is the Eurasian Ground Squirrel-it’s only found in Europe and Asia.

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

The evolution from your projetcs (including this one helping ground squerrels) is breathtaking. I mean, you started with woden boxes and planting some trees and are now helping large numbers of animals

[@MossyEarth]

Thanks Joaquim! Excited for what you will think of some projects we will be making videos about this fall :D

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

@@MossyEarth Soon I'll become a member to, can't way to see how much new stuff you've came up with by that time

[@hime273]

Actually, it seems as if they Kidnapped over 800 Squirrel's, and transported them to a damn Airport to release them🙄 Go ahead and send them some money, so they can fuck up the lives of more species.

[@one_field]

The release montage is absolutely fantastic (and hilariously adorable). Bravo to the editors! Thank you for always explaining the ecological significance of the species you are helping, too. That little bit of education goes a long way toward convincing people when they see what you're doing, compared to just saving a cute little animal that they might otherwise think is a pest.

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

2:35 It is amazing how large herbivors help the squerrel, the squerrel helps some bees wich help multiple plants. Its all just amazing, specially seeing you work on all parts of this chain

[@MossyEarth]

Exactly! Its always easier to try and influence the ecosystem through keystone species :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@KenS1267]

An ecosystem is all evolved to be reliant upon the other parts. When you restore species to the ecosystem it often dramatically improves the health of the entire system.

[@Sksk27547]

Hopefully no wasps move where the bees are. All wasps do is take and take. Wasps don't do anything beneficial to any other creature. Maybe when they drink water and have some bacteria or fungal spores on them, then they maybe help a little by accident.

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

@@Sksk27547 I'm sure they are important somewhere, but I also jope there are no wasps there

[@raerohan4241]

​@@Sksk27547 Wasps are major pollinators, and they keep populations of many species under control, including tons of pest species. These species have adapted to the pressure from these wasps, so without them, they have the potential to quickly start spreading out of control

[@lindsayseal8504]

We have a very healthy population of ground squirrels on our property in British Columbia. At 1st I looked on them as a nuisance but have come to appreciate them as they are a main source of food for raptors and badgers. The population varies but when it gets too high the predators bring it back to reasonable levels. The key is finding a balance with nature and not trying to bend it to our will.

[@MrPoornakumar]

@lindsayseal8504 Yes. Operating principle is "the key is finding a balance with nature and not trying to bend it to our Will". Sooner the humans learn it, the better for Earth.

[@raerohan4241]

​@rustyiron 1) there aren't many horses or cattle at airports 2) that is also part of the circle of life.

[@WowCoolHorse]

@rustyiron Horse and Cattle livestock are invasive species. It makes sense that they suffer when encountering the habitat of a place they are not native to. The solution is not to destroy the native ecosystem, but to alter our use of it, like not fielding cattle or horses nearly as much.

[@californiadreamer2580]

​@@WowCoolHorse In Europe horses and cattle are most definitely not " invasive species". All modern European cattle breeds (Bos Taurus) are descendants of Aurochs, which were present since the middle Pleistocene and only went extinct in the 1600's. Horses in Europe also were present from the middle Pleistocene although some of those specific lineages have also gone extinct. Horses and cattle (Aurochs) are well represented all over Europe in ancient cave Art.

[@d.b.2215]

​@rustyironHumans will have to learn how to coexist with nature and not destroy and change the environment to suit our every little need. That's the only sustainable way going forward.

[@felixmussik7203]

Thanks for sharing, i had no idea the population had declined that much over just the last 50 years. Definitely never really heard of them in northern Germany, so i just assumed we never had any to begin with.

[@MossyEarth]

Exactly. They’ve been one of those quiet extinctions unfortunately. Time for us to make some noise about it and try to help out! - Cheers, Duarte

[@lindajanes5698]

@felixmussik In the last 50 years, there's been incredible tech changes and growth. But sadly, poor people and wildlife are impacted the most and worst.😢😢😢

[@caprea666]

We call them Ziesel, and as a child, I saw one in a book and instantly fell in love. Such sweet little creatures. ♥ But I wasn't aware of how severely they're declining. Thank goodness for organisations like yours! 🥰

[@spulwasser]

Yes, my family and I love the Ziesel😍 they're so cute and comical

[@gitDub]

At first "Those looks like Prarie dogs, where's the fluffy tail, must be how squirrels are in europe" Looks up 'are Prarie dogs are squirrels' yes! Lol I learned more than I knew I would. Btw super adorable and love the goal!

[@TMcCarrick]

One thing is that there are next to no ads on Mossy Earth videos. I wouldn't blame them for putting Ads on videos, the extra income would be appreciated by anyone. All I'm saying is I admire the dedication and keep up th good work.

[@aclassicguardsman946]

More ads on these videos would be good, allow me to feel like I'm contributing even while I cannot donate.

[@TMcCarrick]

@@aclassicguardsman946 I'm glad they aren't. How does one segue from ground squirrels to Raid |Shadow Legends ads.

[@verdtre4573]

Im a little shocked that such a seemingly easily satisfied species was decimated this much.

[@raerohan4241]

That's the downsides of monoculture crops for you. More eco-friendly agricultural strategies do exist, and many more continue to be developed, but it's an issue of education, implementation, and resistance to change particularly for a profession which isn't highly paid and so there's little wriggle room for risk. Society as whole needs to work together to make sure we can minimise our negative impact as much as possible, while increasing our positive impact at the same time.

[@verdtre4573]

@@raerohan4241 I mean i can see why they wouldnt thrive on a monoculture field. But pastures? We still have those, dont we? Even if theyre frequently mowed for hay instead of grazed on, they shouldnt have a problem with that since theyre living underground. I think the problem might have to do with how fragmented everything is. I cant imagine ground squirrels like to travel very far over open terrain and large connected grasslands dont exist, so theres no way for them to spread out slowly.

[@Doflaminguard]

​@@verdtre4573they are hunted because they consider them pests because of the burrows.

[@MM-jf1me]

​@@verdtre4573In the video they explained that the ground squirrels need short grass so they can scout for danger and communicate easily with each other from a distance when they're aboveground. So unless the hay is being cut when it gets to about 10-15 cm it is probably too tall for them to thrive in a hayfield.

[@timozkurt7944]

Great work by everyone involved! Definitely up there with Europe's most charismatic species!

[@veramae4098]

Similar to the American Prairie Dog?

[@monateru1712]

Thank you SO MUCH for having subtitles available on your video right away. You have no idea how rare and amazing that is for KZbin creators to do. It should be standard, but sadly it's not. Some immensely popular creators rarely use subtitles, but claim they are subtitling for inclusivity and when you point out the complete lack of subtitling on 90% of their videos they will send their following after you. Thank you for making your video inclusive from the get go.

[@Sksk27547]

What is "dog-men"? Please don't answer. Just look into what they are.

[@Salix631]

The subtitles were essential from the first moment as the music was way too loud to hear the commentary. Very interesting video and otherwise very well done.

[@lukalammers4011]

Amazing work! there are too many species that go extinct by the hands of humans, its nice to see that there are people who try to concerve them

[@MossyEarth]

Agreed! Its a pleasure to be able to implement these unique projects with people that care about these more niche creatures. - Cheers, Duarte

[@conradk]

Similar in behavior and rarity is the North American prairie dog. In some places, there's really nothing better to do other than to go visit a prairie dog colony and laugh at their antics.

[@TheKingGandy]

I love watching your stuff with every project! Wishing you all the best for this and all of the other projects you are doing. It's the kind of thing I can imagine David Attenborough seeing and bringing a smile on his face. Keep up the good work :)

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the kind words and for watching all of these videos! - Cheers, Duarte

[@jonathangreene4223]

The developers near the airport should have to pay for the relocation.

[@MossyEarth]

Good point actually… but it would probably be just back into the airport instead of new areas. This way we can spread them out a bit and try to establish new colonies as well. - Cheers, Duarte

[@Sksk27547]

Good luck with that one, fat boy 😆

[@louloubell6586]

It's worth approaching the stores to ask. I saw Ikea at the side of the airport. There is the Ikea Foundation to help people, why not animals? They are also into solar panels to run their stores and sustainable materials I believe. It's worth a try

[@DABEATBAKERZ]

No they shouldn’t

[@jessicajae7777]

OH, and why is that? You dont think all these extremely greedy people should be responsible for all the animal amd even human habitats that they destroy and overtake all the time without consideration even when its made very clear the damage they are causing and even when they have different options they want the ones that make them the most money. Often stolen lands from people that just cant afford to fight these monsters and we know animals only have us. So why shouldn't they be responsible???? You absolutely do not have an acceptable answer you monster@@DABEATBAKERZ

[@jkennedy299]

I absolutely love your work and your content

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you that means a lot to the whole team! - Cheers, Duarte

[@danielmcandrew979]

There’s actually even more similarity with the passenger pigeon. A lot of people don’t know about the many species of bamboo that are native to the eastern half of the USA. There used to be pockets tens or even a few hundred miles of thick “cane-breaks” so called because it grew so close together you couldn’t get through it, it was a break in the path/forest/Savannah. Native Americans had many uses for it, so naturally Europeans tried to eradicate it. The largest expanse of bamboo that is clumped together now is about 200-400 feet. Cane was another name for bamboo at the time and the state of Kentucky gets its name from the bamboo/oak savannah, an ecosystem that no longer exists (tucked away in the cane -> cane tuck-> Kentucky) It’s now understood that the passenger pigeons were ground nesters within the safety of cane breaks. Tucked away in the “cane” as settlers called it they were safe. But between loss of habitat for safe nests and European over hunting they had no chance. So pretty much exactly like the ground squirrel in Europe, extreme habitat loss combined with being seen as a pest

[@franceshorton918]

Thank you so much Daniel for your interesting, well-written and informative post. It's great to learn new things, and I love to learn the origins of place names. What a tragedy for Gaia on Earth, that a massive indigenous ecosystem like the cane plantations was entirely destroyed by ignorance and arrogance. Greetings from Auckland New Zealand 🇳🇿 where much harm was done between 1840's to 1960's. We will never recover the amazing temperate broadleaf forests that covered New Zealand. 😢

[@sokjeong-ho7033]

I'm afraid "Kentucky" actually comes from the Mohawk word 'kenhtà:ke' (or some other closely related language) meaning "prairie".

[@annak804]

Also passenger pigeon would only breed in large flocks in numbers close to 500

[@2adamast]

Kentucky not "meadow land." or "at the head of a river", but it was English all the time "cane tuck"

[@joshbonato9576]

It's honestly is great to see this sort of work happening now around the world, keep up the fantastic work 💪

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Josh! - Cheers, Duarte

[@Guildonx]

hii can i ask a question? Which college did you go to to have this profession (work)? I am fascinated by your videos and I would like to research more about your work (sry about my English, i'm not a native speaker)

[@MossyEarth]

Our biologists studied mostly ecology or biology at university at a variety of European universities. The rest of the team has a mix of backgrounds. I’d suggest studying ecology or biology to work in nature restoration. Pro tip: I heard the world needs more botanists! - Cheers, Duarte

[@lacithebest98]

Saw some of these at the inner lake on the Tihany peninsula. We went to check out some Hungarian Gray Cattle and around them lived these cute creatures.

[@MossyEarth]

Very cool! Its funny to hear their warning chirps and how they run after each other. - Cheers, Duarte

[@BechTheMoose]

This is so cool! Hopefully other airports and similar areas can find inspiration in this project!

[@MossyEarth]

Hopefully! There is plenty of room for wildlife among us. - Cheers, Duarte

[@M_Fitz]

Do the airports have any issue with the squirrels being introduced on the property? Typically, wildlife is deterred from living on airports, especially a prey species like squirrels. An abundance of squirrels will attract large, predatory birds. These birds are a safety issue for airports as they can cause bird strikes. I'd be interested to see how the airports assess wildlife issues like this.

[@sou8063]

Prey birds are typically better for airports since they scare away flocks of regular birds as well, and they are much more scarce in comparison. Its easier to scare away a group of 5 prey birds vs 4 decently large flocks of birds, some airports actively use falcons for this purpose as well

[@glennk.7348]

Very smart air club! Bring endangered species and protect your airfield from development!! 😀

[@mikeycbaby]

They’re like European prairie dogs.

[@LordWaterBottle]

Congrats to the local flight club who now have a permenant air strip. Very clever of them :)

[@PromorteD]

I want to fly to Bratislava to see the squirrels now😂

[@yetzt]

please make the voice audio louder than the music.

[@MossyEarth]

Apologies! Something went wrong this time🧐 we will sort it out for the next one! - Cheers, Duarte

[@ethanacton408]

The title sounds so crazy, hopeful it attracts more people to help fund awesome projects like this

[@MossyEarth]

We had to play with the idea a little bit 😅 ultimately we need viewers to get members to fund all of this work :) Also we can spread the word a bit which helps more people think of rewilding in their area. Anyway, thank you for the support! - Cheers, Duarte

[@piebit101]

Commenting for the algorithm

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! Hopefully it listens… - Cheers, Duarte

[@thjacobi2]

It is very reminiscent of the prairie dog in the American Midwest/West. Due to habitat loss caused by farming, eradication campaigns, and illegal pet trade, there has been a significant decline in their numbers. Thankfully areas that are generally on the fringe of human development have also provided a kind of sanctuary for them. Hopefully this project can expand out to other locations in their historical range and expand native grassland protections!

[@trygonberg3821]

Great work! I was so happy to see some in Prague Zoo grazing in the Giraffe enclosure. Probably one of the only person happy to watch tiny local endangered squirrel instead of the mega African fauna of the zoo this day ^^'

[@superdupergrover9857]

1. As an American, I have to constantly remind myself that these aren't prairie dogs. 2. Trying not to to get over excited about the HUGE fairy circles in the airport fields.

[@teklife]

they're probably so close to prairie dogs that they could most likely interbreed

[@Sksk27547]

"Prarie dog" was also shot by settlers going west from the east half of country in years of 1800. Shot for food, and unfortunately for fun. They almost got wiped out completely. I live in America.

[@teklife]

prairie dogs in north america were exterminated by the millions, and shot just for fun. ranchers also believe they would be responsible for breaking the legs of their cattle, when in fact, grazing animals co-evolved on the prairies with these animals for millions of years, and they keep the grasses more nutritious for the grazers.@@Sksk27547

[@sunlight3542]

It’s crazy to see so many great projects like this being all crowdfunded

[@mzimmerman1988]

An episode about ground squirrels without a single "yahoo" !? missed opportunity :P

[@andrewlast1535]

I worked at an airport in the Midwest of the United States, where I had pretty much full access to the whole field. I did a lot of exploring during down times. I was amazed by how much nature was flourishing in the margins and on the field, even with heavy traffic, including an Air Force Base and an Air National Guard helicopter squadron. One of the most frequent visitors to the airport were the raptors. Mostly Red Tailed Hawks. The field is perfect for them, good ground visibility and lots of small mammals. I wonder if having the raptors on the field may help mitigate bird strikes? They seemed to keep a lot of other bird species away from the field? Maybe? This is just my personal observation, but I know that some airports employ Falconers to scare birds. Well if one falcon is good, a few dozen wild raptors would be way better.

[@MossyEarth]

I reckon it does attract a fair few raptors which like you mentioned is good for airports. - Cheers, Duarte

[@Sksk27547]

Did you grill any of them? I heard from a guy that they taste quite nice. I tried deer, rabbit, and mountain goat. "Mountain goat" is a wild goat. You said in your comment that you were in military. Were you ever in Afghanistan? I ask that, for culinary reasons. If yes, did you taste that white Afghanistan wild goat type? When those goats eat grass, they pull the grass out. Making the problem of expanding deserts worse. I think that word in science is called, desertification.

[@pamela5568]

No. Raptors are not good for airports. Have you never heard of a bird strike with an aircraft? In Southern California at the Air Force Base I was responsible for we spent a lot of money keeping birds away from our military airfield. We would never have agreed to have someone bring squirrels in to attract any large birds, or birds of any kind. smh

[@andrewlast1535]

@@pamela5568 tell it to the red tailed hawks. They love it. Should I have them check with you before they live there?

[@SC0RCH3er]

@@pamela5568 Birds not, but Birds of Prey/Raptors are because they keep a lot of smaller birds away which means there is a lot smaller chance of a birds strike. Prague airport even pays for "domesticated" falcons (for over 40 years at this point) because it is a lot cheaper and lot more efective than trying to shoot down milions of pidgeons.

[@shadowgolem9158]

I have to imagine this benefits the airports too. Raptors keep flocking birds away from airports (many airports even put up nesting platforms to try to attract them) and would be attracted by a healthy rodent population. I'd bet you could find more airports willing to dedicate space for these animals.

[@skycaptain3344]

Raptors are far more of a threat to aircraft than small birds. I don’t understand why they would do this. I’ve struck many small birds with my plane, no big deal.

[@CleoHarperReturns]

Beautifully done! I wish you could tackle the missing squirrel problem in Florida. Here we have stray cats that decimate entire areas of everything but -- well, them. And the smarter birds. These strays have been wild sometimes for generations; other times, certain areas become dumping grounds for unwanted pets. To make things worse there are several well-meaning but misguided people who leave out food for these cats. I've tried to explain ad nauseam that they're hurting the local wildlife while putting well cared for pets at risk for diseases. These cat saviors seem to place the lives of the cats over the entire ecosystem. Please don't misunderstand me; I don't see killing them as a solution. Sanctuaries and shelters here in Florida are so overcrowded you can't find any to take in a single cat unless it's to destroy it. I just feel there's got to be a third choice. Perhaps we could take back all our invasive squirrels from the UK and pass along the cats to...somewhere that needs cats?😅 I joke, but I wonder if anywhere else is having this out of control cat problem? Before my community became a cat dumping ground we had all kinds of wildlife running around here. It's all gone now, in only a few short years. (Comment Over; PSA for Future Pet Owners Below) Aside from the environmental issue: Please people, think again before getting a pet. If you find you can't take care of it and dump it somewhere, it may survive for a short while (long enough to breed) but their quality of life is horrific. I won't go into detail here what happens to them. You think you're giving them a fighting chance but you're wrong. You can't begin to imagine the damage you do to that animal because you didn't think things through. You may not see the effects firsthand but I do and it breaks my heart, every day. Many people can and will be cruel if given a chance and every time you dump an animal, you're giving them just that -- a chance to be cruel. If you still feel you can handle a pet after all this, please adopt from your local shelter. These animals need you so much. Plan on spending 25% of what you spend on yourself for necessities. This is for a *healthy* pet (mammal, size depending). These are family members after all and the cost of everything keeps skyrocketing. And FFS read a book before you bring your pet home! Watch some animal-specific behavioral and care videos or something. Don't just do nothing.

[@arielpetra]

Spay and neuter your furry friends! It's the single best thing you can do for them imho.

[@freppers2666]

You are very welcome to take the grey squirrels living in my garden in London! We definitely don’t need extra cats though 😂 Don’t your Floridian snakes and alligators take care of the stray cats?!

[@CleoHarperReturns]

@@freppers2666 edit: Sorry for the book. I get chatty after I take my old lady meds.😅 Not in the urban/suburban areas. Stray cats tend to stay around populated areas as they have many humans very well trained (except for the exotic big cats stupid people think they can handle caring for, but that's a whole other topic). Also cats are agile little bastards.😉 You would think being very well fed and free they wouldn't hunt everything in sight...but nope. The little serial killers are never satisfied. Don't get me wrong; it's not a cat's fault for being a cat. It's a human's fault for displacing them. That said, our living dinosaurs have taken plenty of pets. It's usually pets that have wandered off or go into the various ponds, etc of which Fl has everywhere. I'm not blaming the pets' owners because it's impossible to watch your pet outdoors with eagle eyes (unless you're helicopter me) but it's usually something a pet owner only has to learn once. Stray cats however just automatically jump up into the tree canopy, along rooflines, etc. The reason they're invasive is because there's not much that can catch them to kill them. I would gladly take all the gray squirrels -- but not until the cats were removed. We had them just a few years ago. I actually just chased one off my front porch for the umpteenth time today. The beloved Dog of My Life has recently passed and the cats are all trying to rub their scent all over his favorite sunny spot. As neutral as I try to be with cats I feel a war brewing. I will not let them erase my beautiful boy. Not yet anyway.💜

[@promontorium]

The San Francisco garter snake is another endangered species, one of its only strong populations is at San Francisco International Airport.

[@MaurieDeaton]

That’s outside the box thinking, good for you! Thanks for making our world a better place!

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the support! - Cheers, Duarte

[@matthewdavies5875]

I have been looking forward to such a video ever since I learned that Dublin airport thrives with wild hares.

[@Sksk27547]

You damn Irish! Your too full of alcohol to care about anything! Hilarious 😂 I am joking.

[@thomvarey]

Could you shed some light on why the industrial area you mentioned is allowed to develop on land that's home to an endangered species? I would expect they have to follow the same guidelines as the airport you are translocating them to. Thanks for everything you do, so excited to have been a member for several months now!

[@marykalter13]

They remind me of prairie dogs in the US! Sooo adorable, glad you're doing the work you are for them!!

[@kimc8764]

They are prairie dogs. I was just going to comment the same.

[@v.dargain1678]

Yes ! We have their North American cousins , the Prairie dog and the antelope squirrel in the southwestern states .

[@PatrikInNature]

I love the intro :D Amazing work as always! Bravo Patrik

[@MossyEarth]

Thanks for the support Patrik! - Cheers, Duarte

[@colejohnson777]

As someone who works in airport Ops please dont put them near the airport fences or close to the runways/taxiways. It will harm aircraft and them if they get ingested. I'm all for relocation and that but please be careful when releasing near an airport. Ive seen alot of accidents with animals on airports and it isnt fun.

[@MossyEarth]

We put them in the smaller airport where they want them there so no worries! At the bigger one they have learnt to deal with them already for a long while. - Cheers, Duarte

[@kujda22]

Video: explains why the animals naturally thrive at airports Random YT commenter: pLeaSe Be CarEfuL ReLeaSing At tHe AirPort

[@carylhalfwassen8555]

@@kujda22I presume that the grassy areas are mowed which allows the visibility the squirrels need. Airports have large cleared areas to eliminate wildlife intrusion onto the runways or congregations of birds which can be ingested into the engines or impact the cockpit windows.

[@wildcamcraig]

Loved this one, big props to Ervin the Eurasian Lynx

[@MossyEarth]

Hahaha yes! - Cheers, Duarte

[@Legeden]

I've read about the fact that the development has to take the population into account and left with a hope for the right thing would be done at some point. I'm glad I can see these cuties are well protected.

[@salamandastron90]

Thanks for all you do! Love from Singapore : )

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the support! - Cheers, Duarte

[@jacobsukovaty520]

Hello could come to the us and help out the redwood forests of california it would make me so happy if i saw you guys help out these massive prehistoric trees please and also don't take this as me demanding you guys to do this i would just love to see these massive forests come back❤

[@jacobsukovaty520]

@@ConontheBinarian I know I was asking if maybe they could partner with them help them out

[@germanapplemullentree6152]

The Work mossy earth does with the Help of KZbin should be done by many many more so the youth learns to Help nature and not how to Dance and do stupid Challenges . Love U Guys and Ur Work ❤

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! That means a lot to the whole team! I also wish people did their tiktok dances while doing some rewilding instead 😂 - Cheers, Duarte

[@tiredofupdates]

some countries have laws that they are not allowed to build over habitats where endangered species are known to inhabit. it sounds like this one needs such a law.

[@2adamast]

It's an artificial habitat and they were implanted

[@verhext0072]

music too loud

[@clarissagafoor5222]

What music?

[@308fullbore]

Great job. The squirrels will attract birds of prey, thus keeping pigeons etc away. This may improve air safety by reducing the presence flocks of small birds. Less bird strikes. As a pilot, I wish that these initiatives would be more common place.

[@benzell4]

As colloquially known in North America, ‘Prairie dogs’ (which is a misnomer, they are in the same species family), similar declines have been documented with the same issues you have noted- near elimination of large, wild herbivores ( bison, elk, etc) and encroachment of humans and modern agriculture. Kudos to you and your team!

[@raymondparisza5094]

I grew up in Western Kansas not far from a very large prarie dog town. I dont know if it is still there but it was supposedly protected That was thirty years ago though.

[@RinoaL]

Audio is far too loud to hear what you are saying at the start at least.

[@MossyEarth]

Apologies for the poor experience. It was a mistake in the editing process. We will be back to proper audio & soundtrack levels in the next one! - Cheers, Duarte

[@Nuraziel]

I was first concerned, that the squirrels might attract flying predators, that then get hit by the planes. But you rehomed them from a busy airport to a small one, so I count that as a win 😊

[@skycaptain3344]

Even at the smaller airport I used to work at, we still removed all these. I don’t know why they would do this. Love this channel, but this is not wise.

[@Kenionatus]

​@@skycaptain3344Hm, considering they're a species that hides in holes at the sight of danger they might be quite safe from planes. Did you have frequent cases of killed squirrels that caused the decision to remove them?

[@kujda22]

@@skycaptain3344 they literally explain why they thrive at airports and that the one where they were rehomed is a protected habitat. Watch the video before commenting. Also, I’m pretty sure removing an endangered species from its habitat is illegal so what you’ve been doing might have been wrong.

[@PCJ52]

Well, at least a "win" for the busy airport? The same flying predators may now arrive at the smaller airport.

[@PCJ52]

@@Kenionatus The concern is that flying predators would be attracted to the squirrels. The flying predators are the concern.

[@aznboycols]

Won't they attract birds of prey. Hawks, eagles other raptors? Would bird strikes by planes increase?

[@ManoloElCerdo]

I used to live next to an airport, when moving from there the silence was horrible to my ears, I wonder if the squirrels will feel the same way

[@blowzo1998]

Don't large birds prey on ground squirrels? Aren't large birds a bad thing around runways?

[@missthang4982]

Not an easy feat. But bravo none the less. Cute li'l fella's. Great job everyone!

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! - Cheers, Duarte

[@quinto190]

Great project... now I know, why I've seen so few of them over the years (Germany). Our agriculture sucks 😟...

[@NorroTaku]

music way to loud in the intro please have someone master that have it lower then voice over ffs

[@MossyEarth]

Apologies for the poor experience. It was a mistake in the editing process. We will be back to proper audio & soundtrack levels in the next one! - Cheers, Duarte

[@whiskeytango9769]

I live in Alberta, we have the Richardon's Ground Squirrel, known locally as "gophers". They are doing well here, in fact, they are practically impossible to wipe out given the amount of land available to them. Here they are considered pests. They look almost exactly like these European squirrels. The fact that we have a lot of land dedicated to pasturing cattle rather than crops helps the squirrels. Eat beef, help the squirrels.

[@makingfreely6336]

Can't wait until you all come to the US.

[@MossyEarth]

We’ve had a US project before but it was small. Hopefully a proper one next year! - Cheers, Duarte

[@stg2603]

Those Ziesel, as we call them in Austria, are thriving very, VERY intensive at Palace Hof (which by the way, a very nice location, right after Palace Schönbrunn)

[@natheniel]

Love the video ❤ but can we have a slightly quieter string orchestra in the booth next time 😂😂😂

[@MossyEarth]

Apologies for the poor experience. It was a mistake in the editing process. We will be back to proper audio & soundtrack levels in the next one! - Cheers, Duarte

[@bok..]

The story of the Passenger Pigeon is crazy. Those birds fueled the growth of the New World colonies as an abundant source of protein. The stories from back then are insane. Its said the nost killed at once was done by troops at Fort York (current day Toronto, Canada). They shot as one of the imfamous flocks went by taking out around a hundred or so birds.

[@simonbarrow479]

Great work. Hopefully more airports across Europe will benefit from ground squirrels.

[@Chr.U.Cas1622]

👍👌👏 Oh WOW, simply fantastic! 2) They're sooo cute! Although I absolutely love squirrels I unfortunately have never heard of this species before. Thanks a lot for making teaching explaining recording editing uploading and sharing. Best regards luck and especially health to all involved life forms (humans, animals and plants).

[@MossyEarth]

Glad you enjoyed learning about a new species! - Cheers, Duarte

[@newyorkker]

Good work guys

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! - Cheers, Duarte

[@Questor-ky2fv]

They remind me of gophers and eastern ground squirrels.🐿️ I've only seen gophers on TV or online, but I did see eastern ground squirrels in Pennsylvania. There was a supermarket that we sometimes went to. On one side of the parking lot was a low mostly grassy slope. I sometimes parked by it and watched the ground squirrels while my mother shopped for groceries. She had a tendency to start arguments, so I often stayed in the car. She wasn't able to drive anymore, so I was her driver. The squirrels I watched were definitely squirrels and not chipmunks. I'm very familiar with what chipmunks look like, as I have encountered them in every state that I have lived in. At my last home there were even chipmunks living in the woods behind my backyard. I once even saw a baby skunk at the edge of the yard there. It came out right after the lawn was mowed to look for food stirred up by the mower. I love nature, and what you guys are doing. I am living on a fixed income, so I can't offer any financial support. Unfortunately, I am also now disabled, so I can no longer engage in my personal sports of walking, hiking, and biking. I used to go to parks and other natural areas. Now I mostly have to enjoy nature online, or through my kitchen window. Thanks for what you are doing!🤗 I'm still filled with amazement that airport fields are being used successfully as habitat to save several species from extinction!😃👍👏

[@joaquimbarbosa896]

Ervin really became a predator for a momment

[@MossyEarth]

Haha yes!

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

... moment*

[@VCE4]

xD Adding +10 points for an epic release montage

[@MossyEarth]

😂😂😂

[@falcolf]

Possibly the cutest rewilding project ❤

[@agathacathartese7041]

Youre videos are some of my favourite on KZbin but the "-heres why" thing in the titles feels so dated. Even if it was "Here's why we ...." It would feel like a much more measured title. But hey im just a miserable old man who has no idea about video promotional algorithms so you do what you gotta do and Ill keep my mouth shut and happily watch on

[@MossyEarth]

We’ll bear it in mind for the next one but it is mostly a KZbin thing :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@einundsiebenziger5488]

Your* videos ...

[@Jinguapingi]

Supporter here, I don't get why the location must be private ? Are they hunted ? Thanks and congrats!

[@the.mr.schrader]

It’s So That They Don’t Become Targets Of Poaching Or The Illegal Pet Trade.

[@Jinguapingi]

@@the.mr.schrader thanks

[@MossyEarth]

Its a poaching issue yes. Unfortunately its best this way :(

[@LokiOdinssnn]

@@MossyEarth do they poach them for the fur or to sell as pets?

[@desmondsouthwell3529]

Sorry, but would have been much more enjoyable if the commentary was fully understandable, instead of being almost wiped out by the 'background' music. Ridiculous!

[@bteblooms]

I really love the creative approach to re-wilding. Great work!

[@patrickedgington5827]

I live in Alberta and that’s a gopher. They’re in no danger of disappearing anytime soon. Why they’d do well at the airport is because, lots of things which eat them, or would if they had access, don’t; airports are fenced off. But they breed like rabbits down under, and in Alberta we have to control them in places we don’t want to see coyotes, fox, and other predatory animals, that would also represent a danger to people. As far as the airport goes, I would worry about hawks or owls. Although they might keep other birds away as well, so who knows gophers might end up being a brilliant solution. Though likely not; given enough time predators are going to find a way in to all that food. Badgers as an example and those guys can dig. What happens if they follow a gopher hole under a runway? Or get hit by a plane coming in at night as they run across its path; they’re a fair size. If I was in charge of that airport, I think I would say get those things out of here. Oh, and those cute little buggers also carry Rabies, LCM, Hantavirus, leptospirosis, and plague. That’s the gophers, Badgers aren’t cute. You're just out there to save the world aren’t you? Not that I think they should be wiped out, but have a bit of sense? They matter because they're someone’s dinner? Have a thought before you go inviting that someone over to your house? This bee needs lose dirt? lizards and bumble bees live in the holes? Have you ever been stung by a bumble bee? You know what else lives in those holes’ wasps. Which is fine until you inadvertently disturb them, and you're swarmed? But ya it’s unlikely the one being stung repeatedly will be you? It will be some poor slob that works at the airport, out fixing a light, and no gophers don’t need short grass to do well. They live any and everywhere they can dig a hole. Ranchers exterminate them every few years, because they dig, dig, dig, and every so often a cow and more often a horse steps in one of those holes. You can see were that would be a problem. No one wants a horse with a broken leg and riders falling to their death over a gopher. Case in point: Saddle Horse Steps in Hole, Rider Crushed. Marshall C. Peavy, 45, was killed Saturday afternoon at his ranch at West Plains Colorado, when his saddle horse, Monte, stepped in a gopher hole and threw him. I think some people have to much time on their hands and it always seems to be the stupid ones? Ok so understanding that we have far, far, far, to many of these rodents in Alberta, and an international airport’ I wondered if they might keep them controlled and if I could search a page to find out what the reasoning was? I couldn’t find anything from airport officials but I did find another you tube video. www.google.com/search?q=gophers+at+the+Calgary+airport&oq=gophers+at+the+Calgary+airport&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEwNjg3ajBqMagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:3ffaa9ee,vid:JtV8C2icoSg,st:0 A few points, Note: the large hole he points out and the track? That large hole is a badger that’s dug in to reach and eat the gophers that had been living in there, and the track is of a bob cat. Both attracted to the area because of the food source.

[@backroomserklärt]

Amazing work

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Fussel! - Cheers, Duarte

[@SilverScarletSpider]

This is kinda cool 😂 I wonder if local wild stray cats will enjoy this project too

[@SoulViv0r]

Love these squirrels so glad y’all are saving them

[@MossyEarth]

They are super cool! We are glad to be able to help them together with Broz! - Cheers, Duarte

[@jordyb57]

I would be worried that squirrels would attract flying predators which would be risky for airplanes…. It must be working out though …. :)

[@insAneTunA]

Another great project with a great team of people 👍

[@tragically.rachel]

They are keystone species here in Canada too, but mostly thought of as a pest by farmers

[@rokurussell9862]

Very happy to be a member!

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you for the support! It is truly the only thing that makes these projects happen :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@foreststewart1968]

This is likely not a situation that is entirely rainbows and unicorns. It's not a stretch to expect that these expanded populations of ground squirrel will promote comparable increases in bird of prey populations around these same airports, which could lead to some rather dangerous & possibly life threatening situations if bird-strikes were to increase at these working facilities. It seems to me that a story that fails to consider the entire story, both positive & negative, & from a variety of perspectives, appears inherently less serious & credible. I'm in favor of protecting habitat, generally, but am curious to know more about the possible negative impacts of this proposed project.

[@keithlowe5512]

What amazing work

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you Keith! - Cheers, Duarte

[@yeetiusmaximuss]

It's cool that you're trying to help out the species, but I can't get behind allowing their population to grow and live next to active runways and running aircraft. They pose a major risk of FOD to the aircraft and could potentially damage aircraft and put people's lives at risk.

[@TheProsvetitelq]

You guys are amazing! ❤

[@MossyEarth]

Thank you! We appreciate all the support from everyone here :) - Cheers, Duarte

[@Appleblade]

Looks like fun... I love squirrels... but did anyone worry that the squirrels would bring large birds like hawk into the flight path of planes at an airport?

[@Garrettito6671]

They look like miniature versions of the prairie dogs I’ve seen in the American short and midgrass prairies. They’re very cute and I’m happy to see y’all are trying to save them

[@seamus6994]

At the beginning of this video, the Music is so overly loud compared to the Commentators voice, I almost stopped watching. It was still a bit loud throughout the video, but not as bad. Good video, but background music should be softer.

[@skycaptain3344]

I love your channel, but this is truly baffling to me. I used to do airport field inspections before becoming an airline pilot, and we would kill all the ground hogs and squirrels on property because they attracted large numbers of hawks and other birds of prey, an obvious threat to aircraft.

[@MossyEarth]

Bratislava airports is perfectly happy with the squirrels and the new smaller airfield is the one that really wants go have them so I think as long as they are happy and know what they are doing all should be in order. - Cheers, Duarte

[@skycaptain3344]

@@MossyEarth - I understand they wanted them, I’m just not really sure why from a safety aspect. Rewatching the video, it seems they’re using their protected status as a legal trick.

[@pamela5568]

No. Have you never heard of a bird strike with an aircraft? In Southern California at the Air Force Base I was responsible for we spent a lot of money keeping birds away from our military airfield. We would never have agreed to have someone bring squirrels in to attract any large birds, or birds of any kind. smh

[@southtexasprepper1837]

I'm very impressed that they're making an effort to transplant those European Squirrels that are in that field that's scheduled "for development" before that Colony is wiped out. At least they'll be safer in another part of the Country. Kudos for this group's efforts.

[@Dr_Larken]

Imagine, saying goodbye to your family to go for for food, only to be abducted, Have your abductors look at your privates, Then put you in a cage, Then essentially take you for a ride and what we would call a spaceship, by the time you are released, you think you’re back at home but i“ it seems that during your abduction which didn’t seem long for you, but in reality you were moving so fast through space hundreds of years have passed” your home is unrecognizable! So, when you see someone you tell them your story only for them to think your mental! You try as much as you can to tell everyone you mean but they all think you’re mental! Eventually you give up, even if you have a tracker that the abductors put on you “ alien technology” still no one believes you!