"BAC" wrote in message
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"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
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"BAC" wrote in message
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"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote in
message
k...
The message
from "BAC" contains these words:

You are advocating drowning, which does not appear to be advocated
by
the Forestry Commission in any of its currently applicable
documents
referring to grey squirrel control.

I think the most applicable may be
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcpn004.pdf/$FILE/fcpn004.pdf
specific to the control of grey squirrels in woodlands, which, in
respect of
live trapping, recommends that the squirrels be removed from the
trap
and
killed with a blow to the head from a blunt instrument, or taken to
a
vet
for humane destruction. It goes so far as to say no other form of
killing of
live trapped squirrels should be attempted (and that includes
shooting
them).

I'd recommend that the twerp who dreamt-up the blunt instrument
treatment should be given a squirrel and a blunt instrument, and
filmed.

And how much do they think a vet would charge per squirrel?

The advice is pure cloud-cuckooland, and worthy of the worst excesses
of
the so-called 'animal rights' lobby.

Well, that's the Forestry Commission for you (emphatically not an AR
organisation), the same organisation which Alan cited as authority for
drowning the animals, which is of course the main reason I've referred
to
them, since he's hoist on his own petard, so to speak.


I don't believe in allowing any animal to suffer just for the
convenience of mankind, but there are limits to altruism. If ever I
have
to dispatch a squirrel in a trap, it will be shot.

Which would be OK by the RSPCA and also with Environmental Health at
some
Council websites I've seen. If you've read the Forestry Commission PDF
files
I've posted the links for, you'll have seen one reason they don't
recommend
shooting the squirrel in the trap is they're worried about a possible
ricochet causing human injury, so maybe it's 'Health and Safety' mania
at
the root of it. I also noticed they are worried about use of steel
pellets
in shooting in their woods because of the effect they can have on the
value
of timber.

So can you give us a precise method of extracting this extreemly
dangerous
vermin from the trap in order to shoot it?


Who is this 'us'? As far as I am aware, you are virtually alone in the
regular deliberate drowning of grey squirrels. Other people who trap grey
squirrels, presumably, manage to deal with them in a humane manner in
spite
of your suggestion it is impossible to do so. I've already posted the
Forestry Commission Technical Advice Note which includes a description of
removing the squirrel for bashing over the head - not for shooting. FC do
not recommend shooting either in or out of the trap.

I'm afraid I don't recall you giving a detailed decription as to how to
remove the squirrel from the trap.

As I'm a very simple man and cannot understand complicated manuscripts
please
do not refer me to a source where the text is more than a few words long.

I'm sure at some time you have mentioned shooting squirrels in the trap.


I'd imagine other people would shoot the creature in the trap.

If you were genuinely concerned about the practicalities of a more humane
form of disposal, you could contact the RSPCA, your friends at the FC, the
bloke who sold you the traps (to see whether he now offers different
advice)
the advice line of your local council's pest control department, or DEFRA,
perhaps, for expert guidance.

When I'm next in Bridgewater I will go to the farm suppliers and ask them,
if I can remember to do that, the brain is very poor at the moment.