Rat Roundup

BBC News: Squirrel hunters set 1,000 traps

Conservationists in Cumbria are to place 1,000 traps along the border with Scotland in an effort to stem the northward spread of grey squirrels.

Wouldn't shotguns be more effective and less expensive?
I'm just sayin', is all.

The Isle of Wight is a nice place because there aren't any grey squirrels

Dr John Jackson, chief executive of the [Royal Forestry Society], said: “Our day on the Island was fascinating. We were particularly interested to see the excellent condition of the woodlands, undamaged by grey squirrels or deer, unlike so many on the mainland.”

Quit feeding the squirrels, Tanopää!

"Squirrels run into the buildings through open doors, they nibble on the museum textiles and make holes in the walls," [Seurasaari museum building conservator Risto Holopainen] said.

Preventing Lyme Disease this summer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Lyme disease is caused by the bacterium, Borrelia burgdorferi, which normally lives in mice, squirrels and other small animals. It is transmitted among these animals — and to humans — through the bites of certain species of ticks.

Squirrels continue to be the predominant menace facing Florida homeowners today, with the possible exception of property appraisers and insurance companies.

It seems to me that the federal government should be in charge of keeping Burmese pythons out of Florida. As it stands now, the federal government's main duties are confiscating my shaving cream at airports and raising the price of stamps. There should be some time left in its day to keep giant immigrant pythons out of Florida, which is already beset by so many problems I cannot list them here.

The only thing Burmese pythons have going for them is that they occasionally eat alligators, which are also as abundant as squirrels but far less cuddly. If the snakes and alligators can reduce their populations through a sort of tribal warfare, I think we would all benefit.

Heh™.