BE AFRAID
BE VERY AFRAID
We Are Legion
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BE VERY AFRAID
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This poor lady didn’t close her loft hatch properly and the squirrel got into the flat,” recalls John Silby, a 58-year-old pest controller. “She thought she’d been burgled. The telly was off the wall, plates were smashed, furniture was ripped. We put traps in. When we went back and opened the door, we could smell dead rodent. But the traps hadn’t gone off.”
They found the poor lady’s squirrel in the bathroom. “It had chewed through a bottle of Listerine and died of alcohol poisoning. It was in the sink, legs in the air, big smile on its face.”
Once, one of his colleagues was bitten by a squirrel, whose massive incisors went through his thumbnail and out the other side. Silby couldn’t get the animal off, because it was locked on and wriggling, so he had to decapitate it, then wrap the thumb – and the squirrel’s head – in a bandage to take his colleague to A&E.
There's 2.7 million squirrels in the UK and once a squirrel is in your loft, it can be difficult to get it out. They don’t move in with 19 friends, like mice. You might get a family nest, or you might just get one. But even a solitary squirrel can do an extraordinary amount of damage. Squirrels can chew through almost anything and, like rabbits, need to keep their teeth occupied constantly. They can get through a rafter in a day; chew into a water tank and deliver half a ton of water into your living room; or nibble through a cable, electrify themselves, perish while locked on to the cable and burst into flames, like a miniature hog roast, in your dust-dry insulation. All of these examples are real.
Everyone who has closely observed squirrels from any angle – whether as their protector or foe – is united in awe. “They’re extremely muscular, they’re jumpers, they can get up anything,” says Silby. “I love squirrels. I love trapping them and I love shooting them...They learn very quickly, they’re extremely determined, they can solve counterintuitive puzzles. It’s like having chimpanzees living in your back garden.”
In 2021, the Royal Forestry Society put the cost of squirrel damage at £37m a year in lost timber value and reduced carbon capture. But timber revenue isn’t a very animating cause: “As an environmentalist, you think: ‘I don’t care – that’s their problem,’” Winters says. “But if we want trees, and we want them to live a long time, we have to do something.”
In 2019, squirrels were designated a non-native invasive species. For that reason, it’s actually illegal to release a squirrel that you’ve caught...
...don't be fooled by those cute, furry faces. They are Legion. They are Lethal. They must be stopped. Now.
They found the poor lady’s squirrel in the bathroom. “It had chewed through a bottle of Listerine and died of alcohol poisoning. It was in the sink, legs in the air, big smile on its face.”
Once, one of his colleagues was bitten by a squirrel, whose massive incisors went through his thumbnail and out the other side. Silby couldn’t get the animal off, because it was locked on and wriggling, so he had to decapitate it, then wrap the thumb – and the squirrel’s head – in a bandage to take his colleague to A&E.
There's 2.7 million squirrels in the UK and once a squirrel is in your loft, it can be difficult to get it out. They don’t move in with 19 friends, like mice. You might get a family nest, or you might just get one. But even a solitary squirrel can do an extraordinary amount of damage. Squirrels can chew through almost anything and, like rabbits, need to keep their teeth occupied constantly. They can get through a rafter in a day; chew into a water tank and deliver half a ton of water into your living room; or nibble through a cable, electrify themselves, perish while locked on to the cable and burst into flames, like a miniature hog roast, in your dust-dry insulation. All of these examples are real.
Everyone who has closely observed squirrels from any angle – whether as their protector or foe – is united in awe. “They’re extremely muscular, they’re jumpers, they can get up anything,” says Silby. “I love squirrels. I love trapping them and I love shooting them...They learn very quickly, they’re extremely determined, they can solve counterintuitive puzzles. It’s like having chimpanzees living in your back garden.”
In 2021, the Royal Forestry Society put the cost of squirrel damage at £37m a year in lost timber value and reduced carbon capture. But timber revenue isn’t a very animating cause: “As an environmentalist, you think: ‘I don’t care – that’s their problem,’” Winters says. “But if we want trees, and we want them to live a long time, we have to do something.”
In 2019, squirrels were designated a non-native invasive species. For that reason, it’s actually illegal to release a squirrel that you’ve caught...
...don't be fooled by those cute, furry faces. They are Legion. They are Lethal. They must be stopped. Now.
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Had one, once, in a loft.
Bought a live trap, caught it, killed it through the bars. It was quite resistant - damned thing didn't want to die.
Bought a live trap, caught it, killed it through the bars. It was quite resistant - damned thing didn't want to die.
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Your cat is a killer. It lives to eat and isn't fussy if it comes out of a tin or wrapped in fur. It prefers the crunchy bones, too.
Had a prolific mouser, many moons ago. Wasn't afeared to go by the river to hunt for rats, either. Big buggers, an' all. He had six toes on each paw and ruled the surrounding woodland...but kept his head down when Owl went a-hunting.
Our Tabby is a polydactyl (no, that's not a dinosaur), having thumbs on front paws and extra toes on rears. He's also exclusively a mouse expert, except the one live magpie he brought in through the catflap in the early days. Though I can only imagine this was a mistake which he has learnt from and regretted the commotion it caused as it fluttered around the house until we could release it. He hasn't repeated his foray into magpies. He regular brings in live mice as presents/food for us to thank his hosts for providing him with room and board. These mice also serve as unwilling playthings for him. The ones that don't die of shock are released in the garden across the road under cover of darkness. Tabby doesn't roam here as he only goes out the back of the house. I imagine the owners of the garden that serves as sanctuary for these rescued rodents wonder where they all come from.
Got a problem with rodents? No? Get a cat, you soon will have!!
That's some impressive inverse logic, right there, old spoon....Got a problem with rodents? No? Get a cat, you soon will have!!
Mickey (the Mouser) kept the rodent population at a subsistence level during his heyday. Some cats just have a talent for hunting, others sit on the fence and can't be arsed to even twitch a tail when they see one. He was a worker, though; only coming indoors when the winter was too damn cold, otherwise he'd roam wherever he liked and dossed down in a shed where a bunch of old blankets was good enough for him.
He wasn't lovable, did not like to be picked up and would give anyone a sharp reminder if they dared to cuddle him when he was younger, and became too damn big when fully grown. But he had a presence around the neighbourhood that was sorely missed when he left us. Just vanished one day. Last time i saw him was on the top step leading away over the fields. He looked at me and i wished him well on the hunt, then off he went.
I reckon a fox got him.
Imagining it's true for many cat owners. We're never aware of any mice until he drags them in from far and wide. Maybe he's showing us the mice to justify his continued residence. However, he's the opposite of your cat - he's extremeley laid back and easy going, so his tenure is assured. He relishes human contact and never once in the 6 years of us being his servants has he lashed out. I think he would rather hurt himself than raise a paw to a human. The mousing is poss making up for lost time. His previous owner kept him indoors for first 3 years of his life because his sister had epileptic fits so kept them both in. Not natural for a cat.
That's fair enough, she's got the choice.
Wouldn't knock anyone even if they do have a house cat that they won't let go out. Poss reasons such as busy main road or living in a flat. Important thing is they've got a good home and being looked after. Millions of homeless cats out there who would swap their freedom for a good home and regular meals.
A proper wind up...
...how the heck it holds on to the window?
...how the heck it holds on to the window?
From The US and looks like there's a flyscreen on the outside - which will soon be shredded with those sharp teeth and claws.
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The grounds of Dork Towers is occupied by a colony of 5 semi-feral cats, & a pleasure to observe they are.
Likkle balls of fluffy fun they ain't, they not claws on them paws . . . . They flick knives.
Lean, mean, hunter killer machines. Silent but deadly, they would be a credit to any army regiment if anyone could ever train them.
We don't feed 'em as a rule, but I suspect Mrs Lard chucks the occasional treat their way as they always seem to bunch up with tails upright whenever she emerges . . . .
Can someone please explain to me how the chickens can strut around like they own the place???
Likkle balls of fluffy fun they ain't, they not claws on them paws . . . . They flick knives.
Lean, mean, hunter killer machines. Silent but deadly, they would be a credit to any army regiment if anyone could ever train them.
We don't feed 'em as a rule, but I suspect Mrs Lard chucks the occasional treat their way as they always seem to bunch up with tails upright whenever she emerges . . . .
Can someone please explain to me how the chickens can strut around like they own the place???
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