My neighbours are catching and killing the squirrels :-(

JimJim

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:

Thought only rich people ate Squirrels, Mallard, Pheasant,Duck,Rabbit,HedgeHog,Grose,Hare,Deer,Dove,Pigeon,Quail,Partridge and other water Fowl.

The French eat Snails,Sparrows,Starlings etc

olly300

ceridwen wrote: »

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

I'm not THAT desperate a moneysaver:cool:

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

They will eat anything as long as it's edible.

They tend to try things and see if it's edible. And if it doesn't taste nice then they won't eat any more of it.

So in my local park they go through the bins which is why lots of parks have covered bins for all sorts of waste. If the bin bags are split you will see them going through the rubbish.

Which is why another poster on here referred to them as "rats with bushy tails"

olly300

JimJim wrote: »

Thought only rich people ate Squirrels, Mallard, Pheasant,Duck,Rabbit,HedgeHog,Grose,Hare,Deer,Dove,Pigeon,Quail,Partridge and other water Fowl.

The French eat Snails,Sparrows,Starlings etc

Anyone want any wood pigeon? There are a few who keep landing on my shed roof .....................

pollyskettle

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:

Perhaps they're making a stuffed squirrel army a la Janitor on Scrubs :rotfl:

Youtube linkie for anyone not familiar with it

JimJim

olly300 wrote: »

They will eat anything as long as it's edible.

They tend to try things and see if it's edible. And if it doesn't taste nice then they won't eat any more of it.

So in my local park they go through the bins which is why lots of parks have covered bins for all sorts of waste. If the bin bags are split you will see them going through the rubbish.

Which is why another poster on here referred to them as "rats with bushy tails"

So what your saying is that times are so hard your local squirrels have taken to living out of the dustbins. They will be hanging on street corners next asking for any spare change.

"Spare a peanut mate? " I got a wife and two young ones to support""

Living in little tents made out of crisp packets and Red cross food pacel drops.

annie123

http://saveoursquirrels.org/pge/cms_uploaded_files/grey%20squirrel%20trapping%20guidelines.pdf

It is not, unfortunately, illegal for any member of the public to catch and kill grey squirrels, but there are legal requirements that have to be followed with regards to how they are killed, as it is illegal to set a caught one free in some areas.

The traps should not be able to catch hedgehogs cats etc and must be visited morning and evening, traps should not be set if this can not be done.

I wish the general public would not do this as it can cause many hours of distress for what ever animal is caught, and if its a nursing mother to the young off spring left to die.

Contact the RSPCA who will visit and make sure that the traps are set within the limits of the law and that the owner of the traps can demonstrate that they have full legal knowledge of how to kill them, only 2 ways are legal when trapped and that they are doing this.

That is the most you can do I'm afraid.
I feed my local squirrels, and they bring their babies each year to the feeder to show them how to use it.
Yes they dig up my daffs and I get cross with them, but these days I put the bulbs in a wire basket and just cover the earth over again.
Its their planet too, we do not own it, it's not their fault that they're here.

Mrsmoneypenny

I saw a tv programme once which showed a man with a blow-pipe. On the programme he did it to scare the squirrels away, but i would imagine when the tv crew had gone it would have been a different story.

He also made reference to using it on the tyres of nuisance neighbours too! LOL

harib0uk

Lotus-eater wrote: »

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!

Just for fun...

In Chester, its legal to shoot a Welsh person with a bow and arrow inside city walls after midnight. In Hereford, you may shoot a Welsh person on Sunday with a longbow in the Cathedral Close. In York, excluding Sundays, it is perfectly legal to shoot a Scotsman with a bow and arrow.

Lotus-eater

I'd eat squirrel, no problem. I wouldn't kill one without eating it, what a waste. I never have as the opportunity hasn't arisen, but I've eaten most other things. I bet it tastes a bit like rabbit. Hands up all those that wouldn't eat fluffy bunnies or cute squirrels. Hands down those who are vegetarians. Those who are left with your hands in the air, you would be happy to slaughter a clever lovely piggie, but not a rabbit, Hmmm can you see something wrong with this picture?

Not tried the English garden snail though, I did fancy trying, but then read the palaver you have to go through to get them ready and it seemed a pointless task for something that isn't that good to eat apparently. If anyone here has tried it, I would love to here what it was like.

melanie22_2

Lotus-eater wrote: »

Grey squirrels are more or less rats with pretty tails, I don't see you lot liking rats in your gardens.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/law/article3378581.ece

This is typical of the uk population today, lets kill all the horrible little insects that might sting us (or scare us) (that we rely on for a working ecosystem) and let the cute little squirrel and the fox run around and cause mayhem.

While there may be ignorant idiots who think killing ANYTHING is ok there are many like myself who, although they may not like being around certain critters they wouldn't even think about killing them. I don't think it's typical of the population of the UK at all.

Squirrels may be a pest to some and yes they are a threat as a bigger stronger cousin to the red squirrel but neighbours killing them for whatever reason is not right.