Here is an article with a not so charitable attitude toward squirrels:
San Diego Zoo Conservation Project Uses Squirrels to Help Owls
So how do these squirrels (Otospermophilus beecheyi) help out burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia)?
I would say it is not so much that squirrels in this current event are "helping" owls, it is humans who hurt owls' habitat.
As the article says, "The burrowing owl is currently listed as a species of concern by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, likely because its atypical habitat areas are being taken away for human expansion."
