Voracious squirrels are going nuts for Christmas lights in Boston.
The Boston Globe reports the furry rodents have chewed through electrical wires for the colorful, festive lights strung in trees on Boston Common.
On tree after tree, dozens of bulbs are no longer flickering. Even the spruce brought in from Canada is partially bare.
“Tried to take a picture here and half the lights are out,” said visitor Sally Barker.
City officials say they've received numerous reports about holiday light outages on the city's online reporting app. One recent visitor noted nearly half the lights on the Common's 47-foot Christmas tree were out, an issue the city says has since been addressed.
The squirrels apparently like copper, and that’s what’s drawn them to the wires in the trees.
“The lights are invading on the squirrels property, they’re probably getting a little angry,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “I don’t know why they’re doing it, but we’ll have to look into it and prevent it from happening next year.”
U.S. & World
The lights are hanging in about 60 trees, the visitor's center and other buildings in the historic downtown park.
The contractor hired to string and maintain the lights has turned to using an animal repellent derived from hot peppers to deter the animals.
The Pembroke company was hired for $102,000.
The squirrels apparently like copper, and that’s what’s drawn them to the wires in the trees.
“The lights are invading on the squirrels property, they’re probably getting a little angry,” said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh. “I don’t know why they’re doing it, but we’ll have to look into it and prevent it from happening next year.”
