Ferocious Squirrel Attacks And Hurts Residents In Wales During Holiday

Squirrel illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/VJAnderson)

JAKARTA - A squirrel injured multiple people and several pets for two days in the town of Buckley in north-east Wales, England, before being caught.

On Boxing Day, locals started reporting to each other about vicious squirrels that stopped some of them, including making people refrain from leaving their homes.

They called the creature a 'psycho', a 'bad, cruel, hot-tempered rodent' and a 'karate bitey squirrel', even though he was actually named Stripe after the villainous character from the film 'Gremlins;.

"Warning. The vicious attacking squirrel has bitten me, attacked my friend Kev when he came to my house, has bitten Scott Felton who lives near me, and several others. Don't you dare leave my house, it's lurking," wrote Nicola Crowther on Facebook, citing Euronews December 30, 2021.

The squirrels reportedly attacked at least 18 residents in just 48 hours, some of whom even posted their wounds on social media. "When you stay at home, animals roam freely in our cities."

Squirrel illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/SajjadF)

Buckley resident Corinne Reynolds, who had befriended the squirrel before, shot a video of the animal just days before its behavior changed.

"He's really just changed his behavior in the last four or five days. I've noticed he's acting a bit erratic, which is why I feel he has an ongoing problem inside," Reynolds explained.

He eventually caught the squirrel in a humane trap and was taken by the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), where he was put to bed after a vet check.

The organization said it had to get rid of the squirrels because releasing gray squirrels back into the wild is illegal. The RSPCA also prohibits people from feeding squirrels or other wildlife.

"I was sad at the end. But because so many people were attacked, and my grandson, who is only two years old, playing in the park, I couldn't risk him being bitten."