A historic tale of animal rescue

— Backyard Biology —

"We ask every American to lend a hand to save Silver-Tail" — William Temple Hornaday (1913)

When the gray squirrel nearly disappeared
The gray squirrel once was considered such a pest that bounties were put on it. In 1749, Pennsylvania paid three pence for each dead squirrel. In Ohio, tax payers could use carcasses to pay part of their taxes. By 1890, the gray squirrel had nearly been exterminated.

National Zoo helps save gray squirrel!
Scientists, including William Temple Hornaday of the Smithsonian Institution, believed the gray squirrel was in danger of extinction. The National Zoo stepped in to help save the species. According to 1906 Zoo records, we bought 16 gray squirrels for $1 each.

Black Squirrels come to Washington
In 1906 we also received 10 black squirrels from the Department of Crown Lands, Ontario. Between 1902 and 1906, 18 black and 66 gray squirrels were released around the Zoo.The black squirrels you see throughout Washington today are descendents of these animals.

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Conservation Geography
Saving Species Through Science
Redwood
Olmsted Walk
Long & Winding Woodley Road
Bison and the National Zoo
And Then There Were (Almost) None
Meet Our Bison
From Woodley to Woodley Park
Mihran Mesrobian

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