This mans action should in no way spark a debate about culling Grey Squirrels.His reasons for killing them is because they were damaging his bird feeders and nothing to do with our red squirrel population. Will he start killing the local cats that kill the birds that use his feeders next. His actions in the past in his use of an air rifle were irresponseble and dangerous, and now his actions in drowning the squirrels is horrific in this day and age. There are many ways of stopping sqirrels eating your nuts and it doesnt have to be expensive squirrel proof feeders. It only requires a little imagination but I doubt if the person has much of that. Lastly, his comment about the dangers to children if a squirrel is cornered is laughable and maybe somes up where this person is coming from although there is nothing laughable about his actions which my opinion should lead to him being prosecuted.

It should very much spark a debate about culling grey squirrels.

“Humane” and “humane as possible” are words frequently used by conservationists to describe the killing of wildlife. So what exactly do these words mean or are they merely euphemistic references to brutality?

Conservationists are currently engaged in what they call the “humane dispatch” of grey squirrels by clubbing them over the head with a blunt instrument, yet if the same happened to one of our own population it would be described as a brutal murder.

Putting aside the argument of whether a human life is of greater value than that of a squirrel, it is logical to say that if the method of dispatch is exactly the same there is no excuse for describing it differently.

Perhaps the idea of the ”brutal dispatch“ of wildlife and “humane murder” of humans is too much for the human animal to contemplate.


Make no mistake, clubbing a grey squirrel over the head is an act of violence and is being promoted nation-wide by government and red squirrel groups. Scientific evidence shows that those who have little regard for the welfare of animals are likely to have a similar attitude to their fellow human beings. Abuse breeds abuse and in our ever-increasing violent society, what example is it to younger generations that violence and killing is an acceptable solution to a perceived problem of not being native to this country?

In reality, rather than in the arbitrary world of conservation, all squirrels born in this country are as “native” by birth as we are, irrespective of our colour, background or success. To expect tolerance within our own population but condemn these animals on the basis of their ancestral background is extremely hypocritical and perhaps only one step removed from racism.


It should also be appreciated that squirrels, of any colour, are not “ours”. They are independent parallel mammalian populations that inhabit this planet the same as we do and should be afforded the

continued.

It should also be appreciated that squirrels, of any colour, are not “ours”. They are independent parallel mammalian populations that inhabit this planet the same as we do and should be afforded the same respect and consideration to live out their lives that we expect for ourselves.

I stand by my father on this one. There is to many self centred idots out there just waiting to stick there boot in and complain about people just trying to protect there all and those around them.
The lose of a few grey squirrels by one person isn't going to put the nations population under threat, but if we all joined in then maybe we would reduce the numbers enough to see our native red squirrel return to all our gardens.

You are obviou;sly pressing the arbitary and anthropocertric "native" species argument.

One of the key criteria for determining if a species is “native” by conservationists is that it should have evolved with all other species within its own ecosystem and not have been introduced or assisted by man to arrive at what is regarded as its natural location. In short, it should have got to where it is by its own efforts and evolved naturally.

However, the word “species” is only a descriptive term within an arbitrary classification system, so it is ridiculous for conservationists to latch the adjective “native” onto a classification, when in the real world it should relate to individual animals that have been born and bred in a location to which their native standing rightfully applies.

If it is important to conservationists that a species evolves naturally in Britain to earn its “native species” status, then it should be equally important that the same species evolving in a different natural environment abroad, should not be regarded as “native” to this country.

An example of this is the red squirrel, which has a range stretching from Northern Europe to China. It takes an enormous stretch of one’s imagination to regard red squirrels anywhere from here to China, as being native to one particular location. These animals have evolved within a wide range of climatic and environmental conditions and associated with different flora and fauna encountered across the part of the range they inhabit. For conservationists to argue that these influences are not important is to argue against their own concept of “native species”.

Ancestors of the current population of red squirrels in the UK have been largely introduced (reintroduced?) from various parts of Europe, following their virtual extermination by those with forestry interests who regarded them as “tree rats” – a term now being used, just as unfairly, to demonise grey squirrels in the eyes of the general publi

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public.

As a result, both populations of squirrels, red and grey, have been introduced to this country and there is no conclusive evidence that even the earlier red squirrels evolved here continuously from the time of the land bridge to Europe around 10,000 years ago.

Conservationists claiming animals including birds “reintroduced” to this country are “native” because the species existed here in the past are deceiving the public.

Truth is, most animals including birds being introduced or protected by so-called conservationists and government agencies are being exploited for their economic value to tourism - which in itself is one of the most damaging activities of our time and substantially contributes to the destruction of the natural environment they are claiming to protect.

Grey squirrels being slaughtered in their thousands are victims of an agenda of greed and falsehoods.