Squirrel control - take care

[Darren]

Where is the logic if another animal suffers. Surely we are just fulfilling our own emotional needs?

[jennysmate]

Theres a lot of unnecessary cruelty in modern farming practice. I assume everyone speaking out against animal suffering are all vegans. Or is it ok to let others be cruel on your behalf?

[Stephen1]

I believe the most humane method for dealing with grey squirrels is a modern powerful spring trap (kania etc.)

If I was given the choice between being drowned myself and a few weeks slowly haemoraghing to death on warfarin I'd take drowning everytime - but I think an instant kill in a spring trap would be far preferable.

I used to use live traps and then shoot the squirrel in the trap - but despite what people may say even a direct hit on the top of the skull with a 12ftlb air rifle does not give a certain instant kill - their skulls are dramatically stronger than a rabbits - and using a legal limit air pistol rarely gives a kill with the first pellet.

I do appreciate that the slow accumulation of the effects of warfarin, over a couple of weeks, is what makes it safe to use from the point of view of effects on woodland scavengers (foxes, badgers etc. would have to eat squirrel carcasses killed by warfarin poisoning everyday for 20+ days to kill them) but still a very cruel death for the squirrel vermin or not.

Squirrels are a huge threat to woodland (if only the woodland trust was brave enough to try and educate their squeamish townie supporters) and need to be controlled - but I believe we have a duty to be humane. This isn't about anthropomorphising human perceptions into the head of a squirrel - squirrels are not humans in small grey suits, they can't suffer as a human, but they can suffer as a squirrel. Surely it's preferable to avoid inflicting that if we can?

[Stephen1]

What a preachy sounding git I am! But as I said it's what I believe rather than claiming what I'm saying as an incontravertible fact.

[Darren]

I'm not a vegan, but I'd go for a quick kill anyday.

[MartinD]

A wildlife campaigner has drowned a grey squirrel to challenge the RSPCA to prosecute him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/campaigner-drowns-grey-squirrel-2050871.html

[Dennis]

Over the weekend there was a Press report that the campaigner refused to speak to the RSPCA when they called. The next day two policemen appeared and took him in handcuffs to Bedlington (mainland not far from Holy Island) where he was held for 9 hours until the RSPCA showed up to interrogate him. Expect more developments. Apparently the first case has gone to appeal.

[Dennis]

Correction to previous post: _Belford_ *is* fairly near Holy Island, but the guy was not taken there: Bedlington where the police held him is much further south, not far from Newcastle.

[nomadcelt]

I am sorry to wade in on the issue of killing squirrels but the law states that hunting cannot be done with a pistol: http://www.basc.org.uk/en/how-to/pest-control/rabbit-shooting.cfm

While this article specifies rabbits, I have telephoned BASC and the same applies to squirrels too. Rats can be killed with an air pistol but only by licenced professionals.

[woodbodger]

I have a neighbor who suffers from having rats come into the garden owing to their bird feeding habits that leaves a lot of corn lying around, Husband shoots at the rats when they appear with an air pistol, one big one he shot at three times over a 2 week period on the fourth time the rat was seen dragging itself across the lawn, back legs paralyzed, it was shot for the fourth time and killed. The rat was not a pretty site previous wounds had festered and become maggot ridden. Surely a more effective way to control the rats, apart from not feeding them in the first place would be to trap and drown them, if it was permitted.