dBSPL
SENIOR MEMBER
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2018
- Messages
- 7,661
- Reaction score
- 28
- Country
- Location
A squirrel in rage has become a nightmare in a town in Wales'. Gray squirrel began to attack the elderly, children and animals in gardens and parks. The nimble rodent, which suddenly jumped on people, bit people and chasing others that it could not bite. After the townspeople became afraid to leave the house, attacker was caught and neutralized by the officials.
‘Bloodthirsty’ squirrel attacks 18 people in small Welsh village in two-day Christmas rampage
A grey squirrel at Kew gardens (Getty Images)
A squirrel’s reign of terror over a sleepy Welsh village has been brought to an end after it bit 18 residents leaving some too scared to leave their homes.
Nicknamed Stripe, after the vicious baddie from Gremlins, the grey squirrel was finally caught in a humane trap and handed to the RSPCA by Corrine Reynolds who had been feeding it from her garden in Buckley in North Wales.
It came after more than a dozen locals reported being attacked by the rodent with some posting gory images of bloody bite marks and deep scratches requiring tetanus jabs amid the two-day “rampage”.
The critter was also accused of biting dogs, cats and chasing people down country roads as they fled in terror.
On the Buckley Residents Facebook group, Ms Reynolds, a 65-year-old carer, warned the squirrel had bitten as many as 18 villagers.
She said: “Sadly it runs at you and attacks for no reason whatsoever.
“I would never want to kill anything in my garden... but there’s going to be little ones injured in the summer- it has no fear and attacks randomly.
“I’m very careful when I see it and always make sure I have monkey nuts in my pocket to give him quick because he has bitten me before.”
The tight-knit community was alerted to the bloodthirsty squirrel when a resident posted a blurry image of the animal standing on a fence as a warning.
“It has also attacked my two Bengals (cats) who fear nothing,” she said.
“I dare not go out of my house, as it’s lurking.”
“I went out to my dustbin in the garden when the squirrel ran at me for the second time … it’s attacked half the street.”
She said: “I love animals, would never hurt one, but this one is probably poorly to behave in such an aggressive way.”
Another Buckley resident Scott Felton, 34 also reported being bitten, saying: “I was just having a fag by my back door and it jumped on me.”
“I thought it wanted feeding but it bit me before I even had a chance.”
“I wouldn’t normally put something up like (post onto Facebook) but it was just so random and it well hurt. Had to go to the hospital to get a jab. Not that I wanted to.”
The rampage was put to an end when the RSPCA came and picked the squirrel up from Ms Reynolds’ home, transferring it from her cage in her bathroom to stop it from escaping.
But the animal welfare charity said it had no choice but to put Stripe down as it is currently illegal to release a grey squirrel back into the wild.
An RSPCA spokesperson told The Guardian: “We were incredibly sad to have to put this squirrel to sleep but were left with no choice due to changes in legislation in 2019 making it illegal to release grey squirrels back into the wild. We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.”
The British Pest Control Association says that grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) are invasive pests, not native to the UK.
They were first introduced to the UK from North America in the 1870’s, as ornamental additions to high-class estates and country homes.
Introductions continued until the 1930’s, when the damage they can cause was finally acknowledged and it became illegal to release grey squirrels into the wild.
uk.news.yahoo.com
‘Bloodthirsty’ squirrel attacks 18 people in small Welsh village in two-day Christmas rampage
A grey squirrel at Kew gardens (Getty Images)
A squirrel’s reign of terror over a sleepy Welsh village has been brought to an end after it bit 18 residents leaving some too scared to leave their homes.
Nicknamed Stripe, after the vicious baddie from Gremlins, the grey squirrel was finally caught in a humane trap and handed to the RSPCA by Corrine Reynolds who had been feeding it from her garden in Buckley in North Wales.
It came after more than a dozen locals reported being attacked by the rodent with some posting gory images of bloody bite marks and deep scratches requiring tetanus jabs amid the two-day “rampage”.
The critter was also accused of biting dogs, cats and chasing people down country roads as they fled in terror.
On the Buckley Residents Facebook group, Ms Reynolds, a 65-year-old carer, warned the squirrel had bitten as many as 18 villagers.
She said: “Sadly it runs at you and attacks for no reason whatsoever.
“I would never want to kill anything in my garden... but there’s going to be little ones injured in the summer- it has no fear and attacks randomly.
“I’m very careful when I see it and always make sure I have monkey nuts in my pocket to give him quick because he has bitten me before.”
The tight-knit community was alerted to the bloodthirsty squirrel when a resident posted a blurry image of the animal standing on a fence as a warning.
“It has also attacked my two Bengals (cats) who fear nothing,” she said.
“I dare not go out of my house, as it’s lurking.”
“I went out to my dustbin in the garden when the squirrel ran at me for the second time … it’s attacked half the street.”
She said: “I love animals, would never hurt one, but this one is probably poorly to behave in such an aggressive way.”
Another Buckley resident Scott Felton, 34 also reported being bitten, saying: “I was just having a fag by my back door and it jumped on me.”
“I thought it wanted feeding but it bit me before I even had a chance.”
“I wouldn’t normally put something up like (post onto Facebook) but it was just so random and it well hurt. Had to go to the hospital to get a jab. Not that I wanted to.”
The rampage was put to an end when the RSPCA came and picked the squirrel up from Ms Reynolds’ home, transferring it from her cage in her bathroom to stop it from escaping.
But the animal welfare charity said it had no choice but to put Stripe down as it is currently illegal to release a grey squirrel back into the wild.
An RSPCA spokesperson told The Guardian: “We were incredibly sad to have to put this squirrel to sleep but were left with no choice due to changes in legislation in 2019 making it illegal to release grey squirrels back into the wild. We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.”
The British Pest Control Association says that grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) are invasive pests, not native to the UK.
They were first introduced to the UK from North America in the 1870’s, as ornamental additions to high-class estates and country homes.
Introductions continued until the 1930’s, when the damage they can cause was finally acknowledged and it became illegal to release grey squirrels into the wild.
‘Bloodthirsty’ squirrel attacks 18 people in small Welsh village in two-day Christmas rampage
‘Those teeth could bite right through a child’s tiny finger’, said the woman who put an end to the attacks
