Squirrels Are the Number One Culprit for Animal Damage to Aerial Fiber

There has been speculation that squirrels prefer fiber to other cables due to some oil or compound used in the fiber manufacturing process that attracts them. There are also barriers that are mounted where cables meet a pole to keep the squirrels away from the fiber. Another solution is to surround the buried fiber with 6 to 8 inches of gravel of at least 1-inch size — anything smaller gets pushed to the side by the gophers.

Source: www.circleid.com