Photo by Anna Chamberlain/CBC
London, Ontario — Several car owners in London, Ont. have discovered holes in their vehicle hoods, thanks to a gang of squirrels deciding that vehicle components were the nutrient-rich superfood of their generation.
In an interview with the CBC, Anna Chamberlain, a London. Ont resident explained that she and two other co-workers found rodent nests in and inside their vehicles, along with gnawed engine covers and damaged wiring harnesses.
According to Chamberlain, the first instance happened last summer where she spent $700 to repair her vehicle’s damaged wiring harness. Last month this year, she discovered a pile of branches on her engine which was thick enough “that you or I could have lied down on it and had a nap,” she joked.
Similar to a Kelly Blue Book report from 2022, Dean Watson of Dean Watson’s Auto Repairs and Ben Dantzer, a University of Michigan biology associate professor told the CBC that this damage was most likely caused by squirrels going after the plastic coverings.
This is the second year that a Canadian city has reported rodent-based vehicle damages, with Collision Repair previously reporting a similar case of eaten vehicle components in Victoria, B.C.
“Try sprinkling cayenne pepper over your engine,” said Watson.
