Eastfield students recently noticed a small, blind squirrel on the ground between the walkways of the C, N, and L buildings on Sept. 26. The animal had a single gray eye on the left side of his face, and stood on its hind legs when it approached people, begging for food. The squirrel, collectively nicknamed “Gerald by  The Et Cetera,” staff, scurried up to students passing by and reached out for food. When none was given, Gerald would come up and nibble on the shoes of whomever was closest to him. 

Sudden movements spooked Gerald and caused him to run away, but the squirrel would waltz back moments after and beg for handouts once again. With each pass, Gerald revealed he was less skittish than most squirrels.

Eastfield is no stranger to wild animals crossing paths with students and staff. Opossums are often found on the campus grounds in search of food, but they run when approached. Gerald, however, is the first somewhat tame wild animal found on campus and appears friendly, though always hungry. A student named Farooq fed the squirrel a cookie. When the cookie was given, Gerald fled and ate it quickly in a neighboring tree. Gerald has not been seen on campus since. On Oct. 14, more animals appeared on campus. A brown goose and mallard duck pair appeared at G building’s front entrance in search of shelter. When approached, the birds waddled away from humans. Be on the lookout for more campus visitors from the animal kingdom.