"alan.holmes" wrote in message
news:gKj6o.20935$7Z3.8363@hurricane...

"rbel" wrote in message
news
On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:02:39 +0200, Ian B
wrote:

Mike Lyle wrote:
BAC wrote:
"Ian B" wrote in message
...
BAC wrote:
[...]

The prosecution was not for killing the squirrel, but for the means
employed. If someone were to be caught drowning captured rats, they
might well face prosecution, following the Rural Development
Service's 2006 advisory note on rat control, which states 'Drowning
is
not a humane method of dispatch and could result in
prosecution.'.

Is it reasonable to expect ordinary citizens to know that?


Probably not! How many of us know the ins and outs of every law on
the statute-books? None, I'd guess.

/All/ ordinary citizens should know by now that drowning isn't humane.
They've been telling us for over fifty years, after all.

And there's the problem, you see. There isn't actually a law that states
"ye
may not drown a squirrel". There is a law that says ye may not be
"inhumane", and then the definition of what is inhumane is arbitrarily
made
by others beyond the realm of democratic debate or control. And, it's
certainly not reasonable to expect every person to know even a
significant
fraction of the vast amount of these official opinions.

But the gardeners in Buckingham Palace used to drown the things frequently
for many years, until the Screws of the World got wind of it and made a
fuss, and they die in a VERY short time being drowned, the vermin that is!

Alan


Hm!...I thought you could only drown a squirrel once!

Bill

"alan.holmes" wrote in message
news:5Nj6o.20937$7Z3.16926@hurricane...

"BAC" wrote in message
...

"kay" wrote in message
...

'Ian B[_2_ Wrote:
;894877']BAC wrote:-

The prosecution was not for killing the squirrel, but for the means
employed. If someone were to be caught drowning captured rats, they
might well face prosecution, following the Rural Development
Service's 2006 advisory note on rat control, which states 'Drowning
is not a humane method of dispatch and could result in prosecution.'.-

Is it reasonable to expect ordinary citizens to know that?



Whether it's reasonable or not, ignorance of the law does not constitute
a defence. And if you're planning to kill an animal, it is reasonable to
expect you a) to find out what you're allowed to do and b) to find out
how to do it in the least cruel way.


Those are fair points. Perhaps it would be useful if those selling live
capture squirrel traps were required to include a brief guide with each
item.

They do/did and the recomended method was to drown them as it is very
quick.

Drowning is not at all humane - ask any squirrel. There are quicker less
traumatic means of dealing with them.

Bill

Bill

"BAC" wrote in message
...

"alan.holmes" wrote in message
news:5Nj6o.20937$7Z3.16926@hurricane...

"BAC" wrote in message
...

"kay" wrote in message
...

'Ian B[_2_ Wrote:
;894877']BAC wrote:-

The prosecution was not for killing the squirrel, but for the means
employed. If someone were to be caught drowning captured rats, they
might well face prosecution, following the Rural Development
Service's 2006 advisory note on rat control, which states 'Drowning
is not a humane method of dispatch and could result in prosecution.'.-

Is it reasonable to expect ordinary citizens to know that?



Whether it's reasonable or not, ignorance of the law does not
constitute
a defence. And if you're planning to kill an animal, it is reasonable
to
expect you a) to find out what you're allowed to do and b) to find out
how to do it in the least cruel way.


Those are fair points. Perhaps it would be useful if those selling live
capture squirrel traps were required to include a brief guide with each
item.

They do/did and the recomended method was to drown them as it is very
quick.


Perhaps they'll amend that advice to reflect current thinking. Your
opinion that drowning is 'very quick' is not shared by vets who
investigated the matter to advise whether drowning was a 'humane' method
of despatch of small mammals.

I thought we were talking abuot tree rats which do not come under the
heading of mammals!

From what I have seen the 'so called' vets have never actually seen a tree
rat being drowned!

And, some years ago, that was the recomended method of dispossing of the
vermin by the RSPCA!