Squirrels - To Feed Or Not To Feed?

[Tricia]

We have squirrels. Not me personally of course but, here, near where I live. In fact, every evening around 6.15 one regularly scales the wall just over my kitchen window and skips off down the balcony - probably on his/her way home - the evening squirrel commute.

That's okay, in fact, it's quite nice. The squirrel leaves me alone and I leave him alone - we both just go about our business but ...

I have neighbours and they feed the squirrels, one even leaves his window open and lures them into his front room - he says he is an animal lover - I say he is doing them no favours - isn't that what a squirrels life is about? foraging for food and having a healthy wariness of humans - not sitting in someone's front room munching on peanuts and becoming about as tame as a puppy.

But who is right? Dr Doolittle downstairs and his band of fat, lazy squirrels or me, up here minding my own business and letting the wildlife fend for itself?