Hazelnut hoarders sought to help satisfy hungry squirrels

Hazelnut hoarders sought to help satisfy hungry squirrels

The JSPCA say there is an Islandwide shortage of hazelnuts – a favoured squirrel snack – and are calling on Islanders to donate any they have which are are still in their shells to give to two squirrels which are being cared for at the moment.

But it would appear the hazelnut shortage is not just confined to Jersey. Quantities of the nut are sparse worldwide after crops failed in Europe and America in recent seasons.

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Barbara Keywood, media manager for the JSPCA, said things had got so desperate there that members of staff were buying bags of mixed nuts and physically sifting through them to find the hazelnuts.

She added: ‘We normally buy them from Pets Paradise but there is a shortage and they don’t know when the next stock is going to arrive.

‘One colleague has been buying packs of nuts and pulling all the hazelnuts out. Squirrels eat acorns, walnuts and berries too but hazelnuts in shells are good because it teaches them to crack the nuts like they would in the wild.’

A worker at Pets Paradise said they had been struggling to source hazelnuts for months, and prices were rising. ‘It’s about £100 for ten kilograms,’ the man said.

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In a tweet, the JSPCA said: ‘Urgent appeal.We are in urgent need of hazelnuts (still in shell) for two squirrels in our care. We normally purchase locally, but unfortunately there is an Island shortage and the shops are not sure when stock will next arrive.’

Anyone with hazelnuts to spare for the nameless squirrels is asked to contact the JSPCA on 724331.

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