Christy Hargrove came up with the idea for Squirrel Appreciation Day on January 21, 2001. She is from Asheville and works at the North Carolina Nature Center as a wild animal rehabilitator. She claims that the purpose of this holiday is to promote kindness and appreciation for squirrels.

Fox Squirrel On Squirrel Appreciation Day
Gear Used:
- Camera: Canon EOS R7
- Lens: RF100-500 mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM
Technical:
- Location: Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge (Oklahoma)
- Date and Time Taken: January 13, 2023 (09:12 A. M.)
- Exposure Mode: Manual
- Aperture: f7.1
- Shutter speed: 1/3200
- ISO: 1600 (Auto)
- White Balance: Auto
- Metering Mode: Evaluative
- Back-button Focus
- Animal Eye Single Point Auto Focus
- Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
- Focal Length: 500 mm