- This is a story of good intentions, a betrayal, and a sad end.
We’ve covered quite a few stories about rampaging animals lately, from monkeys to sheep. Well, here’s another one.
In this case, however, the attacking critter has been brought to justice. Unfortunately, his sentence was death.
Over his 48-hour reign of terror, Stripe the Squirrel attacked 18 people in the small Welsh village of Buckley. During some attacks, he even managed to draw blood.
Brief as his spree of violence was, this pocket-sized menace left the locals scared to leave their homes. In the end, animal control agents caught Stripe and took him away — for good.
According to UK laws, there was no amnesty for Stripe. Nevermore will he haunt the good people of Buckley.
Unless there’s some kind of zombie squirrel event. We’ll keep you updated.
A Betrayal Most Foul
Our story begins innocently enough with Stripe’s first known human contact: an old animal-loving lady. Corrine Reynolds, 65, is a friend to all small creatures, and Stripe was no exception.
In the summer of 2021, Reynolds began feeding the squirrel that frequented her garden. For several months, things were fine.
Stripe came and went as he pleased, and Reynolds put out treats and tidbits for him. In return, Stripe entertained Reynolds with various squirrelly acrobatics in her yard.
But as winter and December rolled around, something changed in Stripe. Over three days, the squirrel started exhibiting strange, often aggressive behavior.
And then Stripe bit the hand that fed him. He had gone nuts.
Luckily for Reynolds, the bite she received wasn’t all that bad. Nonetheless, she felt it was her responsibility to warn her neighbors about the potentially dangerous critter.
Reynolds logged onto the Buckley Residents Facebook Group to post a message. But as she did so, the reality of the situation dawned on her.
Small but Furious
Reynolds wasn’t the only person Stripe had bitten. On the Facebook page, she saw reports from her neighbors saying the squirrel was attacking everything in sight.
“In the space of 48 hours he attacked 18 people. He started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin, and they are quite gruesome injuries,” Reynolds told The Guardian.
One of Reynolds’ neighbors who fell victim to Stripe is Scott Felton. The 34-year-old was having a smoke at his back door when Stripe struck.
“This squirrel came out of nowhere, jumped on to my arm, and bit me on my hand before I even had chance to get it off. It all happened so quick,” Felton recalled.
Another neighbor, 42-year-old Sheree Robinson, also received a bite on her finger.
“He had five or six of my neighbors. He had me when collecting my recycling bags,” she said.
“I’ve got teeth marks on the top and bottom of my finger. It latched on and I had to shake it off.”
Yet another resident, herself unharmed, reported that Stripe had attacked her two cats. As a result, she said that she became too scared to go outside while the squirrel was still at large.
Judged for His Crimes
Reading the reports of Stripe’s attacks, Reynolds felt she was responsible for them. As such, she decided she’d be the one to stop Stripe.
“I was shocked and realized I had to get him caught before [he harmed] a child. Those teeth could bite right through a child’s tiny finger,” Reynolds told Evening Standard.
She set up a non-lethal trap — a spring-loaded cage filled with nuts. Sure enough, Stripe took the bait and was caught.
Having captured Stripe, Reynolds called the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Officials from animal welfare group arrived and had no choice but to take Stripe away.
The RSPCA said that there was nothing that could be done for Stripe. The figurative executioner’s axe came down and Stripe was no more.
“We were incredibly sad to have to put this squirrel to sleep but were left with no choice due to changes in legislation in 2019 making it illegal to release gray squirrels back into the wild,” an RSPCA spokesperson told The Guardian.
“We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.”
We’ll Never Know Why
For her part, Reynolds also regrets that Stripe paid for his crimes with his life.
“I’m relieved I caught him because my grandson, who is only two, plays in the garden and had to stop because it’s not safe,” she said.
“But I’m sad because I’m an animal lover and because of me, this squirrel lost his life. I know people don’t like gray squirrels, but they are all God’s creatures to me.”
As to why Stripe went on his rampage, Reynolds can only guess. She said that it couldn’t have been the food she gave him, as the squirrel had eaten it for months without any problems.
“I still think he had underlying issues, like a tumor or growth, because to change like that in a matter of days was not normal,” Reynolds speculated.