Britain Under Siege

Kirk Keller · November 7, 2002, 02:33 PM

I'm thinking a simple ol' .22 would do the trick, maybe even a pellet rifle...

http://www.reuters.com/news_article....toryID=1691622

Quote:

LONDON (Reuters) - A squirrel is spreading terror in a Cheshire town where it keeps attacking people.

Its latest victim was a two-year-old girl, British newspapers reported on Thursday.

Children have been attacked, grown men chased and residents of Knutsford, central England, are fearful of letting their kids out to play, the Times newspaper said.

The rogue squirrel's latest attack was on toddler Kelsi Morley who was bitten on the forehead.

"It was awful because she (Kelsi) was spinning around and we couldn't get it off," her mother told the newspaper.

"From the amount of blood there was, I thought it had taken Kelsi's eye out."

The squirrel eventually let go and the terrified youngster was rushed to a doctor.

Colin Booty, a senior scientific officer in the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, said it was very unusual for a squirrel to behave like this.

Local resident Blanche Kellye said the problem was not funny.

"Everyone round here is living in fear...it's a vicious little thing. I'll never trust squirrels again."

What a sad state of affairs...:barf:

Correia · November 7, 2002, 02:36 PM

Thousands of years of societal development... and a TOWN is being terrorized by a squirrl?

vulcan · November 7, 2002, 02:45 PM

Grown men chased?

Ok,OK, Helps on the way. I'll have the recipes in the mail!

Mark D · November 7, 2002, 02:49 PM

This is the same country that brought you the beastly "Dun Cow of Dunsmore" (no joke, look it up) that was terrorizing the countryside MANY years ago. One of the Warwick's got a spiffy sword as a reward for dispatching the bovine menace...

Being raided by livestock and pets must be an inbred trait for the English.

mrsMTN · November 7, 2002, 02:52 PM

Don't they even have an animal control officer, or whatever the equivalent would be?

Kirk Keller · November 7, 2002, 02:54 PM

I have to admit something here though. I live in NC where tree rats are, shall we say... abundant. I had spent some time cultivating the taste for peanuts (in the shell) amongst the local tree rat denizens and had them regularly eating out of my hand.

One fine autumn day, a squirrel (whom I soon discovered to be quite short sighted) came to the porch looking for a treat with a friend in tow. I obliged by offering a peanut as was the tradition. The grateful little furball reached out to take the peanut, and as it's teeth closed upon the shell, it's compadre decided that my index finger very closely resembled it's friends recently acquired treat.

My neighbors still give me grief about the time they heard me bellow and came outside to see me flinging my right hand around trying to dislodge a squirrel with a death grip on my finger. It didn't break the skin too badly, but danged if it was willing to let go. I finally got a stick and pried the little bugger off.

Kirk Keller · November 7, 2002, 02:58 PM

Quote:

msMTN said: Don't they even have an animal control officer, or whatever the equivalent would be?

I suppose they do, but armed with nothing other than' "Thtop it dang you!" for defense, you pretty much get what you pay for.

DC · November 7, 2002, 03:00 PM

A squirrel!!!???

Many thanks for the laugh, I needed that

M1911 · November 7, 2002, 03:23 PM

For want of an air rifle, the empire goes down the tubes...

BigG · November 7, 2002, 03:24 PM

To paraphrase Jeff Cooper, the red blood of the sons of Britain has been watered down to the consistency of weak tea.

Oleg Volk · November 7, 2002, 03:37 PM

So Monty Python vicious rabbit was real, too?

Dave R · November 7, 2002, 03:40 PM

Where airguns are banned, even a squirrel is a danger to society.

Charlie D · November 7, 2002, 03:56 PM

A guy got it with an airgun

http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/...eid=1036683320

Joe Demko · November 7, 2002, 03:58 PM

I can't wait for Agricola to weigh in on this one.

dev_null · November 7, 2002, 04:09 PM

And none of those pinheads see the irony in their gun policy? :barf:

-0-

SaltyCracker · November 7, 2002, 04:13 PM

WHAT !?!?!?!?!

Sounds like we Americans are going to have to go over there with our "evil guns" and save their a$$e$ one more time! (tee.hee.hee)

seeker_two · November 7, 2002, 04:15 PM

So, this means that my Yorkie/Poodle, try-to-climb-the-darn-tree-after-a-squirrel-even-though-it's-scared-of-heights mutt of a dog is braver than an entire British township? Yikes!

moa · November 7, 2002, 04:23 PM

Squirrels can be quite feisty. For a while I had squirrels from hell in my yard because I was feeding the birds peanuts in the shell, and the squirrels helped themselves.

They where so fiesty one of them took two of my cats around the house at least once. One cat weighed 18 pounds and the other 15 pounds, and these cats used to run large raccoons.

Cats where scared as hell of the squirrels. It was pretty funny watching the encounters.

benewton · November 7, 2002, 04:31 PM

Somehow I don't think Agricola will want in on this one: he's way to busy dodging the "disarmed" criminal class.

Ledbetter · November 7, 2002, 05:01 PM

Did they run out of cricket bats and shovels or are those banned too?

"Nigel, what happened to your hand?"
"Squirrel. Bloody mean little bastard he was. Toothy. I wouldn't go out if I was you."

sm · November 7, 2002, 05:48 PM

...how about "Squirrell B Gone" ? We take a spray, package it like OC and sell to the Brits. Alternate defense type - wait alternate to what? Ineffective and costs money perhaps--but Brits are into that sort of thing.

Kirk Keller · November 7, 2002, 06:02 PM

Quote:

A guy got it with an airgun

I wonder how long it'll be before they try to hang illegal firearms charges on the old codger that capped the tree rat? Discharging an airgun without a chit from the Queen is risky business indeed!

Drizzt · November 8, 2002, 09:47 AM

Granddad guns down terror squirrel

When squirrels attack: Knutsford has been living in fear

A vicious squirrel which terrorised a Cheshire town has been shot dead by a grandfather seeking vengeance.
The animal had already attacked a man mowing his lawn and woman walking down the street, in Knutsford.

But when it sank its teeth into Kelsi Morley's face, her grandfather Geoff Horth decided to act.

He went out and killed it.

Grey squirrels are usually shy

Two-year-old Kelsi was attacked as she took a morning stroll with her mother.

She stopped to admire the squirrel before it pounced on her face and sank its teeth into her forehead.

Kelsi's mother Karen had to pin the girl to the floor and pull the animal off her face.

The youngster was left bleeding heavily from a deep gash.

Mr Horth said he was unrepentant about his vigilante action.

On Thursday his wife said: "When Geoff saw what had happened, he just wanted to put a stop to it.

"He said if it had bitten a child's face this time, what would it do next? He didn't want any more children getting hurt."

Community terrorised

She said her husband was sometimes asked by farmers to shoot vermin and was a good shot.

Mrs Horth added: "This squirrel had been terrorising people around here for weeks.

"After the attack on Kelsi, my daughter phoned the environmental health and the RSPCA but they didn't want to know."

It is thought the animal, which had a distinctive bald patch on its tail, may have been taken in as a pet and had lost its fear of people.

A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said it was unable to help "because in this instance it was not an animal which was being harmed, it was a child".

She added: "We have never heard of a case like this before. Even those tamer squirrels which are fed regularly in urban areas remain cautious of people."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2415095.stm

Dangus · November 8, 2002, 09:57 AM

As usual, the government couldn't help.....

Joe Demko · November 8, 2002, 10:00 AM

That high pitched hum that you hear is Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Sir Richard Francis Burton, et. al. spinning at 4500rpm in their graves.

November 7, 2002, 02:52 PM	#5
mrsMTN Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2000 Location: Middlebury, VT USA Posts: 450	Don't they even have an animal control officer, or whatever the equivalent would be? __________________ Do or do not. There is no try. (Yoda)

November 7, 2002, 02:54 PM	#6
Kirk Keller Senior Member Join Date: December 13, 2001 Location: NC Posts: 808	I have to admit something here though. I live in NC where tree rats are, shall we say... abundant. I had spent some time cultivating the taste for peanuts (in the shell) amongst the local tree rat denizens and had them regularly eating out of my hand. One fine autumn day, a squirrel (whom I soon discovered to be quite short sighted) came to the porch looking for a treat with a friend in tow. I obliged by offering a peanut as was the tradition. The grateful little furball reached out to take the peanut, and as it's teeth closed upon the shell, it's compadre decided that my index finger very closely resembled it's friends recently acquired treat. My neighbors still give me grief about the time they heard me bellow and came outside to see me flinging my right hand around trying to dislodge a squirrel with a death grip on my finger. It didn't break the skin too badly, but danged if it was willing to let go. I finally got a stick and pried the little bugger off. __________________ Proud TFL Alumnus

November 7, 2002, 03:00 PM	#8
DC Moderator Emeritus Join Date: September 30, 1998 Location: Calif Posts: 4,229	A squirrel!!!??? Many thanks for the laugh, I needed that __________________ "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" MOLON LABE!

November 7, 2002, 03:24 PM	#10
BigG Senior Member Join Date: May 19, 1999 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 4,334	To paraphrase Jeff Cooper, the red blood of the sons of Britain has been watered down to the consistency of weak tea. __________________ o "The Earth is degenerating today. Bribery and corruption abound. Children no longer obey their parents, every man wants to write a book, and it is evident that the end of the world is fast approaching." Assyrian tablet, c. 2800 BC o "In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man brave, hated, and scorned. When his cause succeeds, however, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot." Mark Twain o "They have gun control in Cuba. They have universal health care in Cuba. So why do they want to come here?" Paul Harvey o TODAY WE CARVE OUT OUR OWN OMENS! Leonidas, Thermopylae, 480 BC

November 7, 2002, 03:40 PM	#12
Dave R Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2000 Location: Idaho Posts: 6,073	Where airguns are banned, even a squirrel is a danger to society. __________________ I am Pro-Rights (on gun issues).

November 7, 2002, 02:36 PM	#2
Correia Senior Member Join Date: December 3, 1998 Location: SLC Utah Posts: 3,740	Thousands of years of societal development... and a TOWN is being terrorized by a squirrl?

November 7, 2002, 02:45 PM	#3
vulcan Senior Member Join Date: September 22, 2002 Posts: 265	Grown men chased? Ok,OK, Helps on the way. I'll have the recipes in the mail!

November 7, 2002, 02:49 PM	#4
Mark D Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2000 Posts: 383	This is the same country that brought you the beastly "Dun Cow of Dunsmore" (no joke, look it up) that was terrorizing the countryside MANY years ago. One of the Warwick's got a spiffy sword as a reward for dispatching the bovine menace... Being raided by livestock and pets must be an inbred trait for the English.

November 7, 2002, 03:23 PM	#9
M1911 Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2000 Posts: 4,055	For want of an air rifle, the empire goes down the tubes...

November 7, 2002, 03:37 PM	#11
Oleg Volk Staff Alumnus Join Date: December 6, 1999 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 7,022	So Monty Python vicious rabbit was real, too?

November 7, 2002, 03:56 PM	#13
Charlie D Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2000 Location: Newark, DE USA Posts: 166	A guy got it with an airgun http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/...eid=1036683320

November 7, 2002, 03:58 PM	#14
Joe Demko Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2000 Posts: 1,143	I can't wait for Agricola to weigh in on this one. __________________ "No honest man needs a handgun smaller than a canned ham." Bill Ruger

November 7, 2002, 04:09 PM	#15
dev_null Senior Member Join Date: June 23, 2002 Location: Austin TX Posts: 615	And none of those pinheads see the irony in their gun policy? :barf: -0- __________________ The plural of anecdote is NOT "data."

November 7, 2002, 04:13 PM	#16
SaltyCracker Senior Member Join Date: October 18, 2002 Posts: 122	WHAT !?!?!?!?! Sounds like we Americans are going to have to go over there with our "evil guns" and save their a$$e$ one more time! (tee.hee.hee)

November 7, 2002, 04:15 PM	#17
seeker_two Senior Member Join Date: August 31, 2002 Location: Deep in the Heart of the Lone Star State (TX) Posts: 2,169	So, this means that my Yorkie/Poodle, try-to-climb-the-darn-tree-after-a-squirrel-even-though-it's-scared-of-heights mutt of a dog is braver than an entire British township? Yikes! __________________ Proud member of Gun Culture 2.0......

November 7, 2002, 04:23 PM	#18
moa Senior Member Join Date: November 30, 2000 Posts: 667	Squirrels can be quite feisty. For a while I had squirrels from hell in my yard because I was feeding the birds peanuts in the shell, and the squirrels helped themselves. They where so fiesty one of them took two of my cats around the house at least once. One cat weighed 18 pounds and the other 15 pounds, and these cats used to run large raccoons. Cats where scared as hell of the squirrels. It was pretty funny watching the encounters.

November 7, 2002, 04:31 PM	#19
benewton Senior Member Join Date: June 30, 2002 Location: NH Posts: 253	Somehow I don't think Agricola will want in on this one: he's way to busy dodging the "disarmed" criminal class.

November 7, 2002, 05:01 PM	#20
Ledbetter Senior Member Join Date: February 23, 2000 Location: California USA Posts: 4,533	I am not loaning them my Garand Did they run out of cricket bats and shovels or are those banned too? "Nigel, what happened to your hand?" "Squirrel. Bloody mean little bastard he was. Toothy. I wouldn't go out if I was you."

November 7, 2002, 05:48 PM	#21
sm Senior Member Join Date: February 5, 2002 Posts: 1,819	Anyone want to get rich... ...how about "Squirrell B Gone" ? We take a spray, package it like OC and sell to the Brits. Alternate defense type - wait alternate to what? Ineffective and costs money perhaps--but Brits are into that sort of thing. __________________ Use Enough Gun TFL Alumni

November 8, 2002, 09:47 AM	#23
Drizzt Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2000 Location: Moscow on the Colorado, TX Posts: 2,560	Granddad guns down terror squirrel When squirrels attack: Knutsford has been living in fear A vicious squirrel which terrorised a Cheshire town has been shot dead by a grandfather seeking vengeance. The animal had already attacked a man mowing his lawn and woman walking down the street, in Knutsford. But when it sank its teeth into Kelsi Morley's face, her grandfather Geoff Horth decided to act. He went out and killed it. Grey squirrels are usually shy Two-year-old Kelsi was attacked as she took a morning stroll with her mother. She stopped to admire the squirrel before it pounced on her face and sank its teeth into her forehead. Kelsi's mother Karen had to pin the girl to the floor and pull the animal off her face. The youngster was left bleeding heavily from a deep gash. Mr Horth said he was unrepentant about his vigilante action. On Thursday his wife said: "When Geoff saw what had happened, he just wanted to put a stop to it. "He said if it had bitten a child's face this time, what would it do next? He didn't want any more children getting hurt." Community terrorised She said her husband was sometimes asked by farmers to shoot vermin and was a good shot. Mrs Horth added: "This squirrel had been terrorising people around here for weeks. "After the attack on Kelsi, my daughter phoned the environmental health and the RSPCA but they didn't want to know." It is thought the animal, which had a distinctive bald patch on its tail, may have been taken in as a pet and had lost its fear of people. A spokeswoman for the RSPCA said it was unable to help "because in this instance it was not an animal which was being harmed, it was a child". She added: "We have never heard of a case like this before. Even those tamer squirrels which are fed regularly in urban areas remain cautious of people." http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2415095.stm __________________ "That a free citizen should have to go before a committee, hat in hand, and pray for permission to bear arms - fantastic! Arm your daughter, sir, and pay no attention to petty bureaucrats." Robert Heinlein - Red Planet

November 8, 2002, 09:57 AM	#24
Dangus Senior Member Join Date: July 4, 2000 Location: IA Posts: 1,907	As usual, the government couldn't help..... __________________ Help Fight Cancer I twist the facts until they tell the truth. -Some intellectual sadist "Washington didn't use his right to free speech to defeat the British, he shot them."

November 8, 2002, 10:00 AM	#25
Joe Demko Senior Member Join Date: September 14, 2000 Posts: 1,143	That high pitched hum that you hear is Rudyard Kipling, Winston Churchill, Sir Richard Francis Burton, et. al. spinning at 4500rpm in their graves. __________________ "No honest man needs a handgun smaller than a canned ham." Bill Ruger