My wife and I have quite a few squirrels that come to our back porch. We've gotten to know quite a few over the years. Recently we've seen a series of squirrels with injured front paws (like 1 a day). Is there a reasonable explanation for this? There is no visible injury but they will hold them closely to their body where you almost think it's broken. They will occasionally use it for balance, but it's clearly injured with their reluctance to use it when moving. I'd like to think there's a more natural reason for this then a cruel person...but the rapidity of the injuries has me worried.
Of note, there has been some tree cutting in nearby yards and I also wonder if it's not an over aggressive squirrel displacement. Any thoughts are appreciated.