Man fined £1,500 for drowning squirrel
In the first legal case of its kind a Burton window cleaner has been ordered to pay more than £1,500 in court costs – for killing a squirrel. Raymond Elliot, of Maple Way, Branston, admitted causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal, namely a gray squirrel by drowning it to death, when he appeared at Burton Magistrates’ Court. The RSPCA has claimed the ‘test case’ ruling could pave the way for hundreds of other cases across the country as the extermination of squirrels continues to spiral nationally.
The court heard how grey squirrels had persistently targeted Mr Elliot’s bird feeders in his garden, driving him to buy a cage before trapping the squirrel. He then drowned the squirrel by immersing it in a water butt killing it “almost instantaneously.” Magistrates gave the 58-year-old a six-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay £1,547 to cover investigation and legal costs incurred by the animal welfare charity.
John Sutcliffe, prosecuting, said: “This is a very unusual case indeed. It is the first ever case brought under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 in respect of a non-domestic animal. I have prosecuted for over 30 years and with this case I feel considerable sympathy for Mr Elliot. Catching and drowning squirrels is becoming a prevalent act and the RSPCA wants it known that this is illegal.
“The defendant was extremely open and frank about his actions. He believed it was the most humane way of disposing of the animal — however, this method is illegal. The manufacturers who supply such cages go to great lengths on advising customers how to trap the squirrels, but say nothing about what to do with them thereafter. The Forestry Commission gives the advice that squirrels should be caught in a sack, placed in the corner and killed with a single blow to the head with a blunt instrument. However, even this method could result in bludgeoning the animal which would be in breach of section four of the act.”
Doug Walton, defending, said: “The drowning of squirrels and rats is a widespread practice. So what are the alternatives for these people? Realistically, I can’t see many people opting to take the creatures to the vets to pay between £30 and £40 a time to have them euthanised.
“And if you follow the Forestry Commission advice you will end up putting squirrels in a sack and clubbing them to death. Here we have a man of good character that I don’t expect to see back before the court. He regrets his mistake.”
Birds of prey employed to tackle seagulls at school
A school which was under siege by seagulls who would steal pupils’ lunches has become the first in Britain to be protected – by three birds of prey. More than 90 troublesome gulls had taken up residence on the roofs of Sir John Hunt Community College in Plymouth, Devon. They had begun swooping on youngsters to pinch sandwiches and crisps and staff had feared for the children’s safety.
But the playground is now safe after officials hired two Harris Hawks and a Falcon to patrol the school. Jasper, Hope and Monty the Falcon have been working twice-weekly shifts since last month – patrolling the skies during breaks and lunchtimes. The school is the first in the UK to use the unorthodox pest control method and nearly all the gulls are now gone.
Facilities manager Mel Starr said: “We haven’t had an actual attack but they are very bold. They have been swooping on children and of course they also carry diseases, which is not something we want around our pupils. Not only is it an efficient way of removing the seagulls, but we can also use it for educational purposes, teaching the pupils about wildlife and the effects of littering. We had a problem with some pupils leaving food around and feeding the birds.”
Staff feared the seagulls, which had also been pecking away at roof insulation, could become aggressive if allowed to nest. They called in experts from Rentokil, who suggested hiring fearsome-looking birds of prey to scare off the seagull menace. The tame trio have done such a good job they are now set to make monthly returns throughout spring and winter.
A man with a mysterious bulge under his T-shirt was stopped, searched and detained at Mexico City's international airport after authorities found 18 tiny endangered monkeys in a girdle he was wearing.
The Public Safety Department said in a statement Monday that 38-year-old Roberto Cabrera arrived on a commercial flight Friday from Lima, Peru, when authorities noticed the bulge and conducted a body search.
The department says Cabrera was carrying the 6-inch titi monkeys in pouches attached to the girdle.
Two of the monkeys were dead.
Cabrera was arrested on charges of trafficking an endangered species.
Cabrera told authorities he was carrying the monkeys in a suitcase but decided to put them in his girdle "so the X-rays wouldn't hurt them."
Many species of titi monkeys, a species from South America, are in an endangered animal list by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Mexican government recently restricted imports of primates.
But the playground is now safe after officials hired two Harris Hawks and a Falcon to patrol the school. Jasper, Hope and Monty the Falcon have been working twice-weekly shifts since last month – patrolling the skies during breaks and lunchtimes. The school is the first in the UK to use the unorthodox pest control method and nearly all the gulls are now gone.
Facilities manager Mel Starr said: “We haven’t had an actual attack but they are very bold. They have been swooping on children and of course they also carry diseases, which is not something we want around our pupils. Not only is it an efficient way of removing the seagulls, but we can also use it for educational purposes, teaching the pupils about wildlife and the effects of littering. We had a problem with some pupils leaving food around and feeding the birds.”
Staff feared the seagulls, which had also been pecking away at roof insulation, could become aggressive if allowed to nest. They called in experts from Rentokil, who suggested hiring fearsome-looking birds of prey to scare off the seagull menace. The tame trio have done such a good job they are now set to make monthly returns throughout spring and winter.
Man Arrested With 18 Tiny Monkeys Stuffed in his pants
The Public Safety Department said in a statement Monday that 38-year-old Roberto Cabrera arrived on a commercial flight Friday from Lima, Peru, when authorities noticed the bulge and conducted a body search.
The department says Cabrera was carrying the 6-inch titi monkeys in pouches attached to the girdle.
Two of the monkeys were dead.
Cabrera was arrested on charges of trafficking an endangered species.
Cabrera told authorities he was carrying the monkeys in a suitcase but decided to put them in his girdle "so the X-rays wouldn't hurt them."
Many species of titi monkeys, a species from South America, are in an endangered animal list by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.
The Mexican government recently restricted imports of primates.
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