Study Suggests Up to One Million Squirrels May Roam Fuerteventura

The rodent that arrived from Western Sahara in 1975 from a neighbor’s hands has become a classic in Fuerteventura.

The Moroccan squirrel, an invasive species that reached the island via a resident of Gran Tarajal who brought a pair from Sidi Ifni around 1975, is now a familiar sight across the island.

The escape of one squirrel, followed by the release of another, marked the beginning of the island’s large colony. Three years later, they had multiplied and occupied a nearby slope next to the Barranco del Aceitún, becoming an attraction for residents of nearby towns, who fed them.

Between 1974 and 1975 the squirrel population continued to grow as more individuals were displaced.

• In Rosa de Catalina García (Tuineje), squirrels were released after they bit their owner.
• In Vallebrón (La Oliva), squirrels were also released after a mother objected to keeping these animals as pets.

Currently it is estimated that there are one million squirrels in Fuerteventura, and the real fear that they could become a plague on other islands is looming. Each year, increasing inter‑island traffic raises the risk of a disastrous outcome.