SaskatchewanA post on the r/Regina subreddit argues somebody in the Broders Annex community is feeding whole walnuts to squirrels, leading to walnut caches being found all over the area.Several Reddit users say someone in Broders Annex neighbourhood is feeding squirrels whole walnutsChris Edwards · CBC News · Posted: Sep 29, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours agoA squirrel climbs a tree in the Al Ritchie park in the Broders Annex neighbourhood. (Richard Agecoutay/CBC)Someone in Regina’s Broders Annex neighbourhood is feeding whole walnuts to local squirrels, some residents say, and now walnut shells are showing up in lawns, backyards and gardens.”I’ve just seen squirrels going up and down the power line like a squirrel highway with walnuts for years now. I found them in my backyard a bunch of times,” said Annex resident Parker Gusway.”They’re all over the neighbourhood.”Gusway said he hasn’t noticed a change in the number of squirrels or walnuts from past years, but not everyone online agrees. The theory that the problem is growing was brought to light last week in a discussion post in the r/Regina subreddit on social media platform Reddit.”Please stop. I have had to pull these out of my dogs’ mouths 10+ times this summer because squirrels have been burying them all over my yard,” said the original poster. “Please switch to peanuts like normal people.””I’ve dug up so many damn walnuts while gardening. This person’s walnut budget is insane!” said another comment. “I find them in my gardens, garage, bushes. My friends think I’m crazy. Who has this much of a walnut supply,” said a third.While there is no definitive evidence to suggest the walnuts are coming from a particular house, a canvas of the neighbourhood suggested that the epicentre of the walnut droppings might be near the intersection of College Avenue and Broder Street. “Please don’t feed wildlife,” said Veronica Schroder, who coordinates forestry, pest control and horticulture with the City of Regina.”We don’t want people feeding wildlife like squirrels or raccoons or any other wild animal because that just encourages them to come back and become dependent on people.”Schroder said the city hasn’t heard of squirrels being a specific problem, and noted that squirrel populations and their behaviours aren’t directly monitored. Nevertheless, if walnuts become a problem in public spaces like parks or roadways, she said, then the city will clean them up.She also reiterated the danger brought up by several online commenters who said the walnuts are a hazard for dogs and children with nut allergies. “It’s unlikely that the walnuts are going to survive into the spring because of course squirrels are looking for the food that they’ve hidden,” she said. “But ultimately we need to be concerned.””Every animal and insect is beneficial to our ecosystem to some capacity,” said Schroder. “We should just appreciate and respect nature as the human beings that we are, even if we’re superior. They have a purpose, so be kind. But if they’re a problem, call your pest control company.”For those who want to protect their gardens but not resort to full-on pest control, Bill Alder Jr., author of Outwitting Squirrels: 101 Cunning Stratagems to Reduce Dramatically the Egregious Misappropriation of Seed from Your Birdfeeder by Squirrels, has several suggestions. “The best anti-squirrel techniques involve several layers. So if you have a bird feeder on a pole, use both the kind of feeder with a weighted door that closes when a squirrel presses against that door, and also use a baffle lower on the pole,” he said.”If we can’t defeat an animal with such a tiny brain, how can we expect to get humans to Mars?”ABOUT THE AUTHORChris Edwards is a reporter at CBC Saskatchewan. Before entering journalism, he worked in the tech industry.
These residents are going nutty over neighbour feeding squirrels
