A man has been prosecuted and ordered to pay over £1,500 in fines and costs for drowning a squirrel he caught in a trap. (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/man-fined-for-drowning-squirrel-2030149.html)
by MartinD » Wed Jul 21, 2010 11:46 am
How to dispose of the evidence! Sounds tempting, although I'm not sure my wife would agree.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/7900963/First-catch-your-squirrel....html
Does anyone else have a taste for them?
by woodbodger » Wed Jul 21, 2010 5:19 pm
I was flabbergasted when I heard this chap had been fined for drowning what is classed as vermin. The Rspca approve apparently of you hitting the squirrel over the head just once, can you imagine it, you open the trap put the squirrel down in front of you, pick up your club, tap it quietly on the bonce whilst it stands still, no I don't think so. I love squirrels and to ensure that the next generation is well trained for all eventuality's I am running some swimming classes, not a lot of success lately but I shall persevere, maybe the cage is a tad heavy?
by woodbodger » Wed Jul 21, 2010 6:28 pm
Thats a thought , my Jack Russell has tried mouth to mouth resuscitation.
by Exeldama » Sun Jul 25, 2010 9:23 am
Serves him right... im no fan of squirrels but i wouldnt want one to suffer.
Drowning is CRUEL. It used to be common practice but it takes little brain power to appreciate thatsquirrels will suffer the same as you..cant believe how ignorant people are sometimes.
If it were a puppy or a kitten people on here would be up in arms but just because we have decided to label squirrels a pest its suddenly ok to cause suffering....right..!!
As said i dont much like squirrels but we put them here and they are only trying to survive the same as the rest of us. If you have a problem and decide to catch them dont be thick..... know what your going to do once you have one in the cage. Pest control shoot with a small air pistol, properly done its humane, clean and quick.
As to the RSPCA the whole issue is wether a method causes suffering... a correctly applied blow to the head will do that.... you are entitled to do the same to your dog and the like but you wouldnt because your not competent to do so..who would be..
Controlling things /killing is not the issue, the courts took their view because the guy was a fool and cause suffering to the squirrel when he didnt have to...lazy, stupid who knows.
by James M » Sun Jul 25, 2010 10:40 am
An air pistol is underpowered and should never be used for any open ground pest control, they are limited to 5 (or 6?) foot pounds which is nothing. OK to finish off a small animal in a trap at point blank range IF you know what you are doing. A squirrels brain is tiny and hard to hit. You need a full power 12 foot pounds air rifle for taking things down from trees.
An air rifle will do it, but it's always a precise tool in the hands of an imprecise shooter and chances are you'll knock the beast down but need to finish it off by hand. A shotgun is the most effective method - instant kill, no danger to others from stray shot, but it will damage your trees and possibly leave metalwork in there, which isn't good when a chainsaw spits it back out in 10 years time. Never use a 22 rimfire rifle for anything in trees.
FWIW I dont think squirrels, or most other woodland animals, suffer the same as people. They don't have the neurological structures for abstract thought, planning, self awareness and emotional processing which is what defines human suffering. You'll see the same behaviours when they are injured as a person shows and it's difficult to resist the conclusion that they are somehow similar to people in their subjective experience of pain.
I don't like to see animals suffering because it provokes a strong conditioned emotional response in me, not because I think their experience of it is anything like mine. If I thought it was I wouldn't shoot.
Even seeing an earthworm writhing around if I accidentally cut one in half with a spade sets me off.
J.
by woodbodger » Mon Jul 26, 2010 9:38 am
How fabulously erudite I enjoyed reading that, I think the word is anthropomorphize when we put human emotions and feelings onto animals.
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