Posted on 01/08/2022 9:07:30 PM PST by nickcarraway
Last week, over a two-day period, people in a small town in North Wales began to experience unprovoked attacks by a grey squirrel. The animal was eventually captured and put down, but not before 18 people were injured as a result of its wild biting spree, reports say.
According to the BBC, the grey squirrel started attacking people in Buckley, Flintshire, last week. Prior to that, Corinne Reynolds, 65, had been feeding it since March. She said it was a “frequent and friendly visitor” to her garden.
The squirrel initially came “to steal bird food” Reynolds said: “All those months he’s been fine, he would even come and take a nut out of my hand.” The squirrel, who’s since acquired the nickname “Stripe” — after the villain in the movie “Gremlins” — bit her last week as she fed him in her garden, the BBC reported.
The Independent reported that the squirrel began attacking residents in their gardens with “frightening speed,” causing some to be so afraid they refused to leave their homes. Others reported being “chased down the street.”
The Guardian reported that the magnitude of the problem surfaced when Reynolds reported on a local social media group page, what had happened to her and was shocked to learn how many others had also been bitten.
“In the space of 48 hours he attacked 18 people,” she said. “He started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin, and they are quite gruesome injuries.”
The Evening Standard reported the squirrel “was also accused of biting dogs, cats and chasing people down country roads.”
Knowing what needed to be done, The Guardian reported that Reynolds caught Stripe in a humane trap, and the RSPCA came and picked up the squirrel, ending Stripe’s reign of terror.
Since it is illegal to release a grey squirrel back into the wild, the RSPCA said it had no choice but to put Stripe down — not a happy ending, The Guardian reported.
old news...
A pellet gun would’ve solved the problem fast. But of course this is the UK where the government thinks the people cannot be trusted with even that.
Maybe he doesn’t want people moving his nuts
I have to say, the title made me laugh aloud and I resolved to jump in and view this.
Stripe the squirrel had good thing going, but he bit the hand that fed him and acted like a nut.
His host, Ms Reynolds, 65, was wrong to keep feeding him from her yard in the neighborhood vs inside of a park or forest environment.
Stripe woke up one day and decided the whole neighborhood was his and almost nobody was meeting his demands for snacks and treats, so you know, they had to get off ‘his land’!
It’s got sharp pointy teeth…
In North Wales, apparently even the cats are pussies...
My daughter’s molly used to kill squirrels fairly regularly. Then she (the cat I mean) got fat and old and lazy.
P.S. No offense to FReeper ladies. If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it or assume I think you do. :-)
I *warned* you, but did you listen to me? Oh, no, you *knew*, didn’t you? Oh, it’s just a harmless little *squirrel*, isn’t it?
they can have pellet rifles there, but they are restricted as far as feet per second go i believe- here i n the states- pellet guns are the way to go- with many shooting over the speed of sound barrier- (Though you can crank that down to decrease the sound- pellets shoot the nicest @ about 870 fps or so anyways)
Doc Martin!!!
My feist would have loved to tangle with Stripe.
Sounds like the best ending to me. The death of a crazed Rat who probably spread diseases to those people. Those people need to be checked for all kinds of infections.
ROBIN: You tit. I soiled my armour I was so scared!
TIM: That rabbit squirrel's got a vicious streak. It's a killer!
GALAHAD: Oh, f*** off. Get stuffed.
TIM: He'll do you up a treat mate!
GALAHAD: Oh yeah?
ROBIN: You turd! Mangy scots git!
TIM: Look. I'm warning you.
ROBIN: What's he do? Nibble your bum?
TIM: Well, It's got huge ... very sharp ... it can jump a... look at the bones.
ARTHUR: Go on, Bors, chop its head off.
BORS: Right. Silly little bleeder. One rabbit squirrel stew coming up.
TIM: Look!
As TIM points they all spin round to see the rabbit squirrel leap at BORS' throat with an appalling scream. From a distance of about twenty feet there is a tin opening noise, a cry from BORS. A quick CLOSE-UP of a savage rabbit squirrel biting through tin and BORS' head flies off. The rabbit squirrel leaps back to the mouth of the cave and sits there looking in the KNIGHTS' direction and growling menacingly.
Bring forth the holy hand grenade
I hope they checked the squirrel for rabies.
It’s a squirrel, a rat with a fluffy tail..
Yes, it was a happy ending.
I hope the thing was tested for rabies.
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