The Penn State Squirrel Whisperer
Photo posted April 30, 2016 in
News by Sierra Baldwin
Squirrels drink water out of her hands. They sit on her lap and let her pet them. They don’t mind when she dresses them up in tiny hats. They respect her, just as she respects them. Mary Krupa, a 21-year-old from State College, has a way with animals.
She’s somewhat of a celebrity on Penn State’s campus. Passersby stop and stare as she throws peanuts up the trees on Old Main lawn, wondering if they’ll get to see her in action. If a squirrel decides it's hungry, it’ll climb down tentatively and end up at Krupa’s feet.
“Here, squirrely,” she’ll say. “Have a peanut.”
Some squirrels, almost instinctively, will hesitate and retreat, but with Krupa’s patience, they return. Others act like an excited dog that’s seeing its owner after a long day. It bounds over fearlessly, knowing it’s going to be fed. From here, Krupa will hand over a shelled peanut to which the squirrel will willingly accept. As it eats, she’ll slowly place a miniature article of clothing on it. It either doesn’t notice or it doesn’t care. She’ll snap a photo with her phone and upload it to her Facebook page, “Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel.”
This is her claim to fame. She’s been in newspapers, magazines and radio shows across the globe. “I just thought the page was cute and would make people happy,” she said.
This wasn’t the only reason she started this project, however. It began in 2012 after the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse case broke, shedding a negative light on the university. She wanted to create something positive to attach to Penn State that would remind people the school is more than football. Krupa said during that summer, the Sneezy Facebook page didn’t receive any negative comments.
Now, it has more than 40,000 likes and yields nearly two thousand likes per photo. She’s even been asked to air a show with Tosh.0, a popular show known for its sarcastic host Daniel Tosh (She declined, saying the show’s vulgar nature didn’t fit the Sneezy brand). “I never thought it would get this big,” Krupa said. “I think it’s cool we’re able to make people smile all over the world.”
Krupa will graduate from Penn State in December 2016 with a degree in English and wildlife sciences. She aspires to be a science writer, a career in which she can educate people about the planet and how they can make a difference in preserving the environment. She has a pet parakeet named Smudge, but she says she doesn’t have a favorite animal. “It’s whichever animal happens to be in front of me at the time,” she said.
Mary Krupa said this particular squirrel is the one most photographed for her Facebook page "Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel." The squirrel is wearing Krupa's favorite hat out of her collection. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa coaxes a squirrel down a tree in front of Old Main. She attracted this squirrel by throwing peanuts at the tree for about five minutes. The squirrel eventually took notice and climbed down to have a meal. "I look pretty dorky when I do this," Krupa said. "It isn't 'til the squirrels come down that it looks cool." / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa displays part of her collection of squirrel hats on Old Main lawn. She has more than 50 handmade hats primarily made of paper that she uses to dress up hungry squirrels. Krupa said the hats fall into three categories: stuff she made, stuff she found in her house or stuff people have sent her. One of her favorite hats is a tiny beanie that a woman in town knit for her. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
This squirrel hopped on Krupa's lap as if it were a domesticated animal. "I'll admit I've kissed her on the top of her head a few times," Krupa said. "It's kind of gross but I just think of people kissing their dogs." / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
A squirrel poses for a photo to be posted on Mary Krupa's "Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel" Facebook page on Old Main lawn. This particular pose will also be used for a man's wedding proposal. His girlfriend loves squirrels, so he asked Krupa to take a photo of a squirrel in wedding attire so he can blow it up and display it at the airport for her. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa takes a photo for her Facebook page "Sneezy the Penn State Squirrel" on a tree on Old Main lawn. This photo was later posted for Blue and White Weekend with the caption: "Just getting my tailgate set up for today's Blue-White Game! WE ARE!" It received more than one thousand likes. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa allows a squirrel to drink out of her hand by a tree in front of Old Main. She said one of her favorite things about squirrels is their tiny pink tongues. She said they also feel like cats. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa reaches for a peanut to give to a squirrel sitting on her lap by a tree in front of Old Main. The squirrel is also reaching for the peanut. "I love when she does this," Krupa said, laughing. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin
Mary Krupa displays her squirrel necklace in the Hintz Family Alumni Center Gardens. She said she wears this necklace whenever she has an interview with the press. / Photo by Sierra Baldwin