INVASION OF THE CHIPMUNKS!

Siberian chipmunk

Various countries in Western Europe4 have undergone an invasion of sorts from the Siberian chipmunk (Tamias sibiricus).  Perhaps invasion is the wrong word.  Most of them are either escaped pets or the offspring of such pets.  In Ireland (my native land) they have been spotted in Waterford, in the south-east.  In Britain (an island off the coast of Ireland) some of the population may have come from France by way of Eurotunnel, the tunnel which connects the two countries.  In fact, in the area of Paris they seem to be thriving.  They have also been found in Denmark, near Copenhagen.

These animals, I feel, have a good chance of becoming established species.  Actually, in Britain, while they have arrived in England, they seem unknown in Scotland or Wales.  They are still not, however, regarded as an established species in England.