[nostromo95]

I did some work at a utility company a few years back where I had access to a database of every historical outage across the system along with such info as the diagnosed cause.

Thousands of outages were caused by “Wildlife (Squirrel)”—more than once it crossed my mind that this file was the last record of those squirrels’ lives on Earth!

[recursive]

Surely the only record. Most squirrels don't get even a single record.

[pfdietz]

These database records can be accessed using languages such as SQRL.

[s0rce]

There are quite a few records of squirrels!

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?taxon_id=45933

[nicbou]

Some might

https://99percentinvisible.org/episode/uptown-squirrel/

[steve_adams_86]

Surely they get their birth certificates at least

[nostromo95]

Truly those squirrels were blessed.

[SoftTalker]

"Squirrel" is such a common excuse by power utilities that I think it means "we don't really know but seems as likely as anything"

[pixl97]

Eh, they just love using the lines as runways, though normally it's the lower cable/Telcom lines. It's not terribly surprising the little bastards cause problems, especially where trees grow close.

[jjtheblunt]

they can run on the lines proper too, if they don't short to an aluminium or steel tower, i bet.

[Stratoscope]

People do that too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YmFHAFYwmY

[koolba]

What an incredible job. The last line of that video is too perfect.

[radlad]

We once heard a big bang in the morning as the power went out. Decided to go for a bike ride and saw the just-fried squirrel at the base of the pole right behind my house.

I think it's actually pretty common.

[Georgelemental]

I've seen a squirrel get electrocuted by a power line with my own eyes. Bright blinding light, bzzzt sound, and later charred squirrel on the ground. Can't be that rare