This coming Monday, people are encouraged to be thankful for squirrels

Jan 18, 2013 07:59 GMT  ·  By

For those unaware, January 21 marks the so-called Squirrel Appreciation Day, a celebration founded by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove.

This basically means that people are encouraged to take a moment or two to think about how amazing these animals are, and perhaps even find it in their hearts to be thankful for their existence.

Since this holiday is celebrated smack in the middle of winter, feeding the squirrels might turn out to be a great way of showing how much we appreciate them.

This is because these animals do not hibernate, and odds are they are now beginning to run out of whatever treats they stashed during summer and autumn.

Just for the record, our planet is home to about 280 different species of squirrels, so one can only assume that a darn lot of appreciation is in order.