Czech town builds 10,000 euro bridge for squirrels

[Secret Squirrel]

A Czech town has built a 10,000-euro (12,000 dollar) bridge to protect a handful of squirrels from a busy road, without knowing if they will use it.

The seven-metre (23-foot) high cable bridge attached to two trees spans a road that divides a large park in the town of Sokolov in the west of the country, near the German border.

"We think this construction is unique in the world. I myself witnessed two dead squirrels on the road in the space of two months and I felt we had to do something," Sokolov mayor Karel Jakobec told AFP Thursday.

At the moment the park is home to just three squirrels.

"The idea is that instead of going down trees and crossing the road to get to the other side of the park the squirrels will go up and across. But we don't know yet if it will work," he added.

Most of the 290,000 koruna (9,920 euro) cost was met from a grant by Czech brewer Staropramen as one of 10 grants it awarded for ecological projects in the country. The remaining 40,000 koruna was funded by the town council.

"We have already arranged for two more pairs of squirrels to be brought from an animal rescue centre and we are hoping that the squirrel population in the park will now grow," added Jakobec.

Squirrels are a protected species in the Czech Republic.

link (http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050915/od_afp/czechanimalsoffbeat_050915171747)

[Caesar]

Where does the world is heading for christ sake!!! :cantbeli:

[MKtexan]

:cantbeli: 2 dead squirls, so he wants to build a bridge? i see road kill every day where i live, we dont build special paths for the animals.......... :|

[Aerosoul]

I myself witnessed two dead squirrels on the road in the space of two months and I felt we had to do something


I see at least 5/week. And that doesn't include the deer and dogs and cats that are often hit as well in my area. Christ.

[mack pl]

few thousands euros for saving some squirells lifes isnt that much

[Aerosoul]

Assuming they all take the bridge. :roll:

[beNder]

rofl

[Freibier]

Come on, 10k euros for a squirrel bridge, that's peanuts ;)

[mack pl]

Assuming they all take the bridge. :roll:

doesnt matter...its better to spend few euros for such thing like this bridge than for new car for mayor of the city ;)

[Spike_Kojima]

.....and I felt we had to do something
Its really scares me when politicians say that.

[MKtexan]

haha lets see what happens when they continue to take the road accross and get run over. what will they decide to do then?

[mack pl]

haha lets see what happens when they continue to take the road accross and get run over. what will they decide to do then?

they will arrest em'

[scrybe]

...so they are going to have to develope special squirrel hand cuffs, another $10k.

[Secret Squirrel]

haha lets see what happens when they continue to take the road accross and get run over. what will they decide to do then?

Obviously they'll hire a crossing guard. :roll: :lol:

[usa320]

THis is retarded. Who cares if a squirrel gets smacked by a car. They are pointless creature. They serve no purpose what so ever. All they do is sit in the road and piss of motorists and eat their nuts.

[Aerosoul]

They are pointless creature. They serve no purpose what so ever.

you've got to be kidding me.

[JoaMei]

Whats the Problem?

In germany we build Frog tunnels for 500000€ p-)

I love my Goverment....

[Abolith]

haha lets see what happens when they continue to take the road accross and get run over. what will they decide to do then?


likely that they will put up a 30K fence to force the little guys to take the 10K bridge. :lol:

[von_Moo142]

Squirrels tend to take elevated routes when they can, it's a natural instinct to avoid getting eaten, so it's likely that such a bridge would be effective. Some of the more urbanised squirrels can be a bit bolder sometimes, but their behavior isn't that common. Plus, this type of measure isn't exactly unknown, so if it didn't work I'm sure we'd know by now.

In terms of road building, ten thousand euros is very little. Plus, even if you don't give a **** about conservation, that money is instantly repayed for avoiding just one accident for someone breaking too hard and causing a medium or high speed shunt injury accident due to the cute little squirrel in the middle of the road.

[pathfinder82]

THis is retarded. Who cares if a squirrel gets smacked by a car. They are pointless creature. They serve no purpose what so ever. All they do is sit in the road and piss of motorists and eat their nuts.


So you just enjoy hating things. You are no doubt a miserable human being if that's how you actually think. However you could quite possibly be playing the tough guy role for some reason, even though your on the internet.

I was taught to like all things, respect all things. I have no idea what you were taught, but I'm glad my parents had the sense to raise me the way they did after reading crap from sad people like yourself.

Karma's a very real thing, you'll see. Walk around with hate in your heart and you'll get that back in spades. Not to mention you wont live as long, but that would probably be okay, right tough guy.

You actually have it backwards. You see humans made this society so we could serve a purpose, without it we serve no purpose. Take all this away tomorrow, go back to the caves and what purpose do we serve? The squirrel would still have its purpose, we would not.

If you actually dont know what a squirrel does for its habitat open a book or better yet do a google search, you mindless unimpressive turd.

[wulfstan]

Remember this cost the Czech govt nothing. Can anyone say EU subsidies?

[Lexi]

I get paid to kill squirrels in my neighbourhood sometimes... :lol:

[wulfstan]

I get paid to kill squirrels in my neighbourhood sometimes... :lol:

Somali's eat them in the UK apparently...

[K.Johnston]

They are pointless creature. They serve no purpose what so ever.

you've got to be kidding me.

honestly i dont see the use... other than peggin them with bb guns

[<Gypsum Fantastic>]

I get paid to kill squirrels in my neighbourhood sometimes... :lol:

Somali's eat them in the UK apparently...

That's true, we do.

[wulfstan]

I get paid to kill squirrels in my neighbourhood sometimes... :lol:

Somali's eat them in the UK apparently...

That's true, we do.

Thanks for the confirmation Abdi.

[Aerosoul]

They are pointless creature. They serve no purpose what so ever.

you've got to be kidding me.

honestly i dont see the use... other than peggin them with bb guns

ffs people. everything here has a purpose. i know that many environmentalists are too outspoken about things, but that doesn't mean a lot of what they say is bs. whether you realize it or not, you and everything else are part of something called an environment. just cause we're human doesn't mean we have to shrug off everything we're not conscious of.

[buttchowder]

Do you guys remember The Onion article talking about a squirrel hit by a car? The title was, "Squirrel hit by car described as frantic and indesisive."

LOL