My neighbours are catching and killing the squirrels :-(

chloecat_2

Poor you and the squirrels

Sadly not illegal to trap the greys and traps are sold everywhere, including Wyevale garden centres when I worked there a couple of years back.

To my knowledge it is illegal to then kill the animals caught by the humane traps. They are suppossed to be released away from your property but sadly this doesn't happen to lot's of them.

You could try the RSPCA and see what they say.

Good luck
chloecat x

jabba4

A story I found whilst browsing......

[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]EDP article - 09 June 2006[/FONT]
[/FONT]A pensioner was threatened with court after he caught some troublesome squirrels in his back garden and
released them into the wild.
Stunned Roy Hill could not believe his ears when he was told by an RSPCA inspector he had broken the law
by releasing the animals - but would not have got into bother if he had
simply shot them.
The 68-year-old, of Plantation Drive, Sprowston, was getting fed up with
the furry fiends damaging bird nests and stealing eggs.
So he spent £19.99 after he spotted a national newspaper advert for a
humane cage.
He used nuts to entice the grey squirrels in and then put a sheet over it to
keep them calm and took them one by one to Mousehold Heath over
three weeks, releasing 21 into the woods.
But on Tuesday night an RSPCA inspector turned up on his doorstep
warning him if he did it again he could be hauled before a court.
It turned out somebody had contacted the animal charity and Mr Hill, who
lives with his 70-year-old wife Connie was ticked off by the inspector.
He said: “The RSPCA gave me an official verbal warning and said if I did
it again I could be prosecuted. I've put the trap in the greenhouse and I can't do anything now.”
Mrs Hill said the RSPCA inspector told them they would have been allowed to shoot the squirrels but were
simply not allowed to transport them.
She said the irony of the whole matter was that they were dedicated wildlife lovers and had spent a lot of
money on housing and feeding birds.
She said the idea of shooting squirrels appalled them.
She said: “The squirrels were caught humanely in a specially designed cage and transported to another
large wood.
“I was absolutely horrified. My husband had to sign this statement as though he was a criminal.
“It's quite permissible to use an air rifle and shoot a squirrel but you are not allowed to humanely place one in
a square cage and entice it in with nuts. I just want the public to know that this type of thing has happened
and we are appalled about it.”
An RSPCA spokesman said it was not illegal to catch grey squirrels but that it was illegal to release them
back into the wild.
She said: “It is against the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release non native species into the wild
because there are problems they may cause to British wildlife such as red squirrels.
“Even the RSPCA could not re-release a grey squirrel, so unless it was sick or injured we would not catch it
and if we did, under the law, we would have to kill it. It would have been legal to kill the squirrel if they had
done so humanely.”
The spokesman said the best advice she could give the couple was to deter the squirrels in the first place by
not putting food out.
She said they could have been prosecuted by the RSPCA or other agencies.

If convicted Mr and Mrs Hill could have been fined an unlimited sum.

And here from the Telegraph...

Homeowners can legally despatch grey squirrels in almost any way - short of bombing them or firing arrows at them.
It is illegal to release grey squirrels or to allow them to escape into the wild, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, so anyone who catches one is obliged to kill it.
Cage traps are encouraged for squirrels who invade roof spaces. The traps should be placed near objects such as brickwork or joists, with yellow maize, peanuts or wheat used as bait. Once captured the squirrel can be shot in the cage or run into a sack and struck on the head. Drowning is frowned upon.
Spring traps are designed to kill humanely. Bait is used to lure the creatures along a tunnel into the trap. The carcasses can then be burned, buried or wrapped up and placed in refuse collections.
Using poison bait is also legal, but it is subject to restrictions and is not recommended in buildings or gardens because of the danger that other animals could take it.
But in its advice on controlling the pests, the Government's conservation body Natural England states: "It is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to use any bow or crossbow (or) any explosive other than ammunition for a firearm."
The law also protects squirrels from ill-treatment and spring traps can only be used if they comply with the Spring Traps Approval Order 1995.
Those reluctant to kill squirrels should consider proofing their property with crushed wire netting and metal sheeting and removing tree branches near walls and roofs.

Stompa

chloecat wrote: »

They are suppossed to be released away from your property but sadly this doesn't happen to lot's of them.

It's illegal to release them:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-389976/Gardener-facing-prosecution--releasing-squirrels-wood.html

Lotus-eater

Homeowners can legally despatch grey squirrels in almost any way - short of bombing them or firing arrows at them.

And that's only because it's illegal to hunt with a bow in this country!

chloecat_2

Well that told me. Perhaps that's why we never sold any of them, all the farmers already had guns!

olly300

slick_detective wrote: »

what are the reasons they're killing squirrels please as i don't know why and it's killing me not knowing and also do squirrels eat daffodils as my mate told me my daffodils were eaten by squirrels(i'm not gunna hurt them or awt i just want to know what's destroyed all my daffodils) but i don't believe him i think it's slugs.are red squirrels nearly endangered if they are endangered then you can't mess with them and must leave them alone no matter how much of a pest they are leeches are a pest if they start sucking on you and you can be prosecuted for pulling one off(heard it on the one show)you have to wait till they have finished taking your blood

Daffodil bulbs are poisonous so the squirrels who have any sense won't eat them. It doesn't stop squirrels and foxes digging them up, and having a nibble or playing with them.

Both animals prefer crocus and tulip bulbs as apparently they are nice to eat. They also detest alliums and anything else that tastes of onion/garlic.

ceridwen

Actually - at a practical level - what are the neighbours actually doing with the dead squirrels? I ask - in all seriousness - because I have an idea (cant be quite sure on it?) that squirrels may actually be edible....

Errr....they ARENT eating them for Sunday lunch are they?:rolleyes:

olly300

As stompa says if you catch/trap a grey squirrel you are not allowed to release it into the wild so you have to kill it.

Grey squirrels and red foxes are not considered by councils or the RSPCA as a pest so it's up to the home-owner to sort out their own deterrents.

However if you live in an area with lots of grey squirrels and start trapping/killing them, all that will happen is within a couple of years you will get more grey squirrels moving in simply because they are territorial animals and your territory has none there.

The only solution is to use deterrents to keep them out of your garden, shed and loft.

And if they like eating your bulbs then plant them under chicken wire.

If they like eating the flowers of the bulbs - mine tend to eat tulips then unfortunately you just can't plant the bulbs in your garden unless you are willing to water them with a garlic wash that deters slugs/or put sprinkle chilli powder on/in them.

olly300

ceridwen wrote: »

Actually - at a practical level - what are the neighbours actually doing with the dead squirrels? I ask - in all seriousness - because I have an idea (cant be quite sure on it?) that squirrels may actually be edible....

Errr....they ARENT eating them for Sunday lunch are they?:rolleyes:

I've seen what grey squirrels eat.

I definitely would not eat a grey squirrel.

Though you can google for recipes.

ceridwen

olly300 wrote: »

I've seen what grey squirrels eat.

I definitely would not eat a grey squirrel.

Though you can google for recipes.

No chance anyway there....I dont eat meat....

I'm not THAT desperate a moneysaver:cool:

....errr...what DO they eat?