Derrick Downey Jr. has befriended all of the squirrels in his neighborhood.

The comical yet calming 33-year-old man has amassed over two million followers on TikTok and Instagram combined. 

What are people there to see? His regular escapades with the neighborhood squirrels: Richard, Maxine, Niblet, and countless others.

It all started when the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

“I was having a rough time, not because of the pandemic but because of some mental health issues,” Downey told The Washington Post in 2023.

But when he offered some peanuts to who is now known to him as Maxine, he started finding pockets of joy right in his backyard.

“Going outside and connecting with nature was my gateway to relief from depression,” he added to The Washington Post. “It brought me peace. I would see Richard walking around, and talking to him made me feel good about the world.”

After posting a video of him interacting with the squirrels that received over 26 million views, he was dubbed the “Squirrel Whisperer,” and he went on to share even more quirky videos. 

Some include accessories he shares with the squirrels, like a house he calls their “dine-n-dash,” or a little green purse he calls Maxine’s “Birkin.” 

It’s safe to say his platform has taken off — even inspiring a picture book published in 2024 — and Downey is more committed than ever to his local critters. 

But it’s not always fun and games.

Just this past weekend, he shared a video of his efforts to protect the local wildlife when city arborists came to trim some trees in his neighborhood.

“I went and documented all the nests in the trees on my street before they came,” Downey said in a video. “I don’t care if it was a bird nest or a squirrel nest, I was documenting it all, and then I went and told the supervisor what I found.”

Per Downey’s concerns, there are local and federal laws that prohibit people from taking or disturbing any migratory birds or their nests and eggs without a permit. Squirrels and other wildlife do have some legal protections, but they appear to vary by state.

Although most squirrel species are not endangered, trimming trees can displace their nests or babies and can have fatal consequences. 

WildCare, a wildlife hospital in Marin County, California, shares that it sees squirrels every day in the spring and summer admitted for injuries related to tree-trimming and gardening.

“WildCare asks you to ‘respect the nest’ this spring, which means putting off non-emergency tree and garden work,” a spokesperson wrote in an op-ed for the Marin Independent Journal. “Please wait until resident animals have raised their broods, or even better, until nesting season is over in the fall.”

Since Downey couldn’t seem to stop the arborists’ work, he stood by to ensure the safety of his beloved friends.

“There’s active nests in this one,” Downey records himself speaking to an arborist in his neighborhood, pointing to trees. “Not just birds but squirrels; I’ll show you.”

He had done his part before the work began, to ensure the safety of his woodland friends. But his efforts didn’t stop there.

“And while they was doing their work, I was doing my work,” he shares in the video, “making sure they was doing they work properly and not destroying any nest. … I was looking out for everybody” 

A clip shows Downey pacing the sidewalks like a protective parent as crews can be heard in the background. In another, he speaks directly with Maxine the squirrel, who took refuge on his fence.

“You watching too?” he asks her.

Ultimately, Downey spent the full weekend monitoring the crews, early in the morning, until they left for the day.

“This past weekend drained me, but it was well worth every ounce of energy and every second spent making sure the birds and squirrels in my neighborhood still had their homes when the city came through for tree trimming,” he wrote in the video’s caption.

Not a single squirrel or bird seemed to be harmed by the events, and Downey even connected with the contractors on the scene. The supervisor asked him why he cared so much about the neighborhood wildlife.

Downey told him about his experiences with depression.

“My way of finding peace and comfort was to walk around the neighborhood, connecting with the animals,” he explains. 

“And when something brings you peace, baby, you protect it,” he adds in a voiceover. 

“The squirrels may not have a lot of protections legally, but as long as I’m around, ain’t none squirrel nest going down.”

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Header images courtesy of Derrick Downey Jr/Instagram