On April 9, 2024, before United Squirrels had a name, its future co-founders met by chance on Vanderbilt University’s campus.
Elsa Ding, then a postdoctoral researcher in Vanderbilt’s Department of Chemistry, was getting to know the campus squirrels. Garfield Zhang had returned after graduation to visit his old squirrel friends.
Watching the squirrels interact with Garfield, Elsa was struck by how they seemed to recognize him and by the relationships that could develop between wild squirrels and people.
Their shared interest sparked a conversation that grew into a partnership. Coming from different backgrounds, they found common ground in their curiosity about squirrels and a desire to better understand and care for them. Those shared interests would later shape United Squirrels.
