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Two police officers were caught off-guard when they were attacked by a pet squirrel as they tried to arrest his owner on Monday. According to the Livingston Parish Sheriff's Office, two deputies were wrapping up a traffic stop east of Baton Rouge, Louisiana Monday night when they went to arrest an unidentified tow-truck driver. But when they searched the vehicle, a 'pet feral squirrel' leaped onto the back of one of the deputies, the Sheriff's Office wrote. As he ran in circles trying to get the squirrel off his back, jumping and grabbing at the rodent, his partner could be...

Squirrel breeding is a real job—and apparently a very dangerous one if you're dealing with the wrong kind of squirrel. After the mysterious deaths of three German men who all worked as breeders of variegated squirrels—a kind of squirrel native to Central America that's sometimes kept as an exotic pet—researchers have identified a new virus that had apparently jumped from the squirrels to the men, LiveScience reports. The men, who were in their 60s and regularly socialized together, died between 2011 and 2013 from inflammation of the brain, and researchers say at least two of them had been scratched or...

UK residents were left reeling after a crazed gray squirrel went on a wild Christmas rampage in Buckley, Wales, injuring a staggering 18 people in two days. “Warning, vicious squirrel that attacks,” wrote Nicola Crowther in the Buckley Residents Facebook Group on Dec. 26 along with a grainy photo of the furry culprit on a fencepost. “Has bitten me, attacked my friend … and multiple other people.” Another bite recipient, Sheree Davidson, told SWNS that she was taking out the recycling when the “psycho” squirrel jumped out at her from behind the bins and chomped her on the hand. The...

IN 1722, A PET SQUIRREL named Mungo passed away. It was a tragedy: Mungo escaped its confines and met its fate at the teeth of a dog. Benjamin Franklin, friend of the owner, immortalized the squirrel with a tribute. “Few squirrels were better accomplished, for he had a good education, had traveled far, and seen much of the world.” Franklin wrote, adding, “Thou art fallen by the fangs of wanton, cruel Ranger!” Mourning a squirrel’s death wasn’t as uncommon as you might think when Franklin wrote Mungo’s eulogy; in the 18th- and 19th centuries, squirrels were fixtures in American homes,...

When someone says squirrels you'd think of those small size rodent-like creatures with their bushy tails. Jumping and running across from trees to trees, squirrels make for cute creatures hunting for their nuts more often. But residents in North Carolina can spot some oddity in and around Robeson County. Going by the recent pictures posted by state wildlife officials there are 2-foot tall squirrels in the area. Baby Squirrel Taken into Police Custody After Chasing a Man in Germany.

RUSH: I found something that just struck me funny. There’s a story that has nothing to do with anything. It’s in the San Diego Union Tribune. Apparently they’ve got a giant squirrel problem in the public parks in San Diego. Now, I happen to like squirrels, but every time squirrels come up I have a bunch of people start shouting, “They’re nothing but tree rats. They’re nothing but rats with PR. They’re just rats. What do you mean, you like squirrels?” Well, it goes back to when I was a kid. My mom would actually open one of the windows...

I never dreamed slowly cruising through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Studies have shown that motorcycling requires more decisions per second, and more sheer data processing than nearly any other common activity or sport. The reactions and accurate decision making abilities needed have been likened to the reactions of fighter pilots! The consequences of bad decisions or poor situational awareness are pretty much the same for both groups too. Occasionally, as a rider I have caught myself starting to make bad or late decisions while riding. In flight training, my instructors called this being "behind the power...

Video shows one rodent waiting for coast to be all clear before pouncing on candy and scurrying away. A group of squirrels is driving the owners of one Toronto convenience store nuts, after the rodents have been caught on video stealing chocolate bars from their east-end shop. “I always see them sneaking outside the door, looking in my store, and even right at me!” said Paul Kim, owner of Luke’s Grocery near Gerrard St. E. and Logan Ave. “They come in and take Crunchies, Crispy Crunch, Wonderbar . . . ” And those who are really bold “try to take...

<p>A squirrel-shooting contest planned in upstate New York this weekend is drawing criticism from local officials and animal-rights groups, who are making a push to cancel the event.</p> <p>The 7th annual "Hazzard County Squirrel Slam" is a sell-out, with all 1,000 tickets spoken for, organizers said. The event will raise money for the volunteer Holley Fire Department, the event sponsor.</p>

How are forest-thinning projects on Boulder County open space land affecting the tassel-eared Abert's squirrel? Which shorebirds and waterfowl are nesting at county ponds? How well have county wetland restoration projects really worked? These are the kinds of questions the Parks and Open Space Department hopes a new corps of volunteers will help answer when the county's new Natural Resource Monitor program begins next year. "We have a lot of acreage, and we have really diverse natural resources on our open space," said Michael Bauer, education and outreach specialist for the county's open space department... As the county designed the...

An aggressive squirrel pounced on a 4-year-old boy in an attack last week in Cuesta Park in Mountain View. The attack happened as the boy's mother unwrapped a muffin during a picnic. Ironically, efforts to curb the behavior may have exacerbated the squirrels' aggressive tendencies, Muela said. This summer, the city installed new trash receptacles featuring metal tops with a latch that makes it nearly impossible for an animal to rummage through the can in search of food. Increased park ranger patrols and flier distributions cautioning against feeding the animals might have further cut the squirrels' food supply, prompting them...

The city of Santa Monica, Calif., is in trouble with environmentalists for the way they eradicated their squirrel population: An unannounced, weekend fumigation of the animals' burrows under Palisades Park. City officials had debated the rodent overpopulation issue for more than a year, trying to find a solution which involved neither poison nor pain, reports KCBS-TV's Jennifer Sabih.

Eastpointe Squirrel Feeder Faces Charges Again Woman's Case Drew Widespread Attention In 2002POSTED: 10:00 am EST November 8, 2005 EASTPOINTE, Mich. -- The city of Eastpointe has hauled one of its better-known animal lovers back into court. Luminita Marinas (pictured, right), 65, faces criminal charges of setting out walnuts for squirrels near her home. She faces a maximum fine of 90 days in jail and a $500 fine. In a case that drew widespread media coverage in 2002, Marinas pleaded guilty to littering for feeding squirrels. Marinas was placed on six months' probation and fined $250. City officials worked out...

A Council Bluffs, Iowa, man learned the hard way — don't mess with the city's black squirrels. ABilly G. Cates, 18, was fined $325 last Tuesday for letting loose his dog "with the intent to annoy, worry, maim, injure or kill the squirrel," according to the Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil and the Omaha World-Herald.

PL tells Freshwater tree-sitters to get out By James Tressler The Times-Standard FRESHWATER -- Pacific Lumber Co. sent climbers up ancient redwood trees here Wednesday to deliver a message personally to tree-sitting activists. The message: It's time to come down. At least 18 activists sitting in PL-owned trees in the Freshwater area were served notice of a hearing scheduled Friday in Humboldt County Superior Court. The timber company is seeking a temporary restraining order which, if approved by Judge Dale Reinholtsen Friday, would order all of the tree-sitters to stay off the company's property. It also would order the activists...