A neighbor has asked me a question regarding dead squirrels that I can't answer.

Over the last several weeks, she or a family member have found 3 dead squirrels near her home. The City of Elgin was called and the squirrels were removed. The City does no testing to determine the cause of death. She is concerned that they may be rabid, or died of the West Nile Virus, indicating there are infected mosquitoes in the area. It's also possible that someone has poisoned them.

The question is, should the squirrels be tested since this seems to be an unusually large number of deaths in one area? It could indicate there is a serious problem and neighbors should be alerted.

Thanks. Carl

This is a good question. I would not be overly concerned about finding three dead squirrels in the neighborhood. It is very unlikely that the squirrels died of rabies or West Nile Virus. Unless many animals ( say 10+) all die within a small area and short timespan, testing is not usually performed to determine cause of death. In urban areas there are many ways that squirrels can be killed...disease, being struck by vehicles, being poisoned (which would be illegal), etc. It does not sound as though there is reason for concern in this case. However, do watch the other squirrels in the neighborhood for signs of disease (unusual movements, lethargic, loss of fur, loss of fear of humans). If several more squirrels die, contact your local IDNR district wildlife biologist. You can find the biologist in your area on the 'Find a Professional' page of this website. If you have more questions about the squirrels, please feel free to e-mail me.

Hello,

I also live in Elgin, IL and over the past 6 months or so have found or seen 6-7 dead squirrels. I just saw one today when i went to take my dog out for a walk. The poor thing was dragging itself across the ground and looked close to death. I thought about trying to catch it and take it to a vet, but I wasn't sure I would be able to. It looked like it had some kind of head injury. I'm not sure what to do. I've never lived anywhere where i've seen squirrels die like this. I'm very concerned and will report this to animal control on Monday. Is there anyething else I can do?

It is sad to see an animal in pain. But it is better not to handle wildlife unless you are a trained professional. It sounds like the squirrel you saw may have been struck by a vehicle. While the number of dead squirrels you have observed may seem high, squirrels are quite abundant, so those numbers are not out of the ordinary.