Brother in law shooting grey squirrels

[NettleMania]

Is this an okay thing to do? AIBU to have a go if it's in his own garden?

I'm a bit conflicted as I have a live and let live attitude towards animals, but BIL swears it's not illegal to shoot them, that they're vermin and have chased off all our native red squirrels and that they're eating all the food he puts out for the birds.

He has tried other ways to get rid of them, but they are determined. My DS just shrugs and carries on with her knitting!

I 100% couldn't. But my aunties in rural Scotland also couldnt and didn't want to report them as they'd be killed. And now the red squirrels who were regulars in their garden and local area have died out. One life for another i guess. Who gets to decide who is more important?

It makes me sad that won't see them at my family home again.

@BeaucoupFish

That’s awful why is he doing that ? What reason ? And it is illegal to discharge a firearm unless you have a licence or a reason to this has pissed me off so much

It's an air rifle, and if you live in England you can buy one and use it without a licence. And if you have a squirrel to shoot, then you have a reason. It is perfectly legal.

@AllThingsServeTheBeam trap and release kills by disorientating and starving the animal. No better than poison.

[quote pineapplejuiceisyuck]"For those who wonder whether is it legal or illegal to shoot squirrels in your backyard, it is legal to kill squirrels in hunting seasons. If they are nuisance and have damaged your property, you can kill squirrels other times of the year but with a special permit."

www.intoyard.com/is-it-illegal-to-shoot-squirrels-in-your-backyard/[/quote]
That’s an American site so totally irrelevant.

It's legal, but.... if he doesn't live in an area with red squirrels (and pine martens, and ideally wildcats, maybe a secret lynx or two?), he's not magically going to get red squirrels... Instead he leaves a lovely ecological gap for more grey squirrels to move into

Also, a single air rifle pellet on a moving target? If he's not a pretty good shot, he's just torturing them.

We shoot greys but we are rural and know how to shoot. I wouldn't shoot anything unless it is capable of killing them outright and you are a good shot.

It boils my piss that anyone thinks it is acceptable to target practice on a living thing.

Pine marten are meant to be a great way to help red squirrels- they’re smaller and lighter than greys, so greys are easier for pine martens to catch. But they can’t get established where there’s a mink population (another non-native invasive species).

We’ve red squirrels here, beautiful creatures.

We use Fenn mk4 traps to kill them, I wouldn't trust anyone in our family with firearms beyond a water pistol

@Anordinarymum

Anybody who can stand and point a gun at another living creature and pull a trigger and destroy it is weird, and it shows lack of empathy and so many other things....... People like this make me shudder

Yes, this.

What a vile creature. Your BIL, not the squirrels....

What if they move and he just injures them instead of killing then outright? He and your DS are ok with them limping off to die a slow and painful death, are they? Lovely people.

How can you bear to be in the same room with somebody who gets off on this?

Also, a single air rifle pellet on a moving target? If he's not a pretty good shot, he's just torturing them.

Exactly. What a cruel arsehole.

We have colonies of red squirrels locally the Grey's carry a disease which kills them, so we're quite sanguine about dispatching them to protect the reds

@AllThingsServeTheBeam

It's not illegal but it's vile

This

It’s not illegal, but most people are not comfortable killing. Those who are, well they are different to the rest of us. It’s horrible.

What a horrible man he is

But I’m vegan so I’d argue we shouldn’t be killing any animals for stew

@justasking111

We have colonies of red squirrels locally the Grey's carry a disease which kills them, so we're quite sanguine about dispatching them to protect the reds

‘Dispatch’, like ‘cull’ is supposed to make killing sound less awful isn’t it?

Squirrels are rats with PR.

People don’t like the idea of killing them because they’re cute. But they’re just as much pests as rats are, and god help you if one gets in your loft.

While I personally wouldn’t shoot them, I assume many of the people objecting to killing/eating them on this thread are perfectly ok about eating other types of meat? All of which is also killed? In which case there’s no difference.

IIRC isn’t there a roadkill cafe somewhere up towards the lakes?

Also, a single air rifle pellet on a moving target? If he's not a pretty good shot, he's just torturing them.

You would have to be a pretty exceptional shot to shoot them dead when they are moving. You normally set up a bait station and shoot them when they stop moving to eat.

In Wales since 2019 the RSPCA and vets are legally obligated to euthanise greys and muntjac deer because they're pests

The greys are an invasive species that needs managing, they are thinned out around here too. Most people would get rats etc sorted out so why not squirrels?

I grew up in the Lakes where this is fairly common. We used to have an air rifle and we'd use it on tins and homemade targets mainly but we'd definitely shoot grey squirrels and rats if we saw them. Grey squirrels are awful for red squirrels. Red squirrels will go extinct if Grey's aren't managed.

@HeartsAndClubs I wouldn't assume that everyone objecting eats meat. I don't.

What does he do with the bodies?

@AnnieSnap

It’s not illegal, but most people are not comfortable killing. Those who are, well they are different to the rest of us. It’s horrible.

Different? You mean lacking cognitive dissonance? Non-hypocritical? Honest about their food production? Or just not vegan?

wtf is wrong with people posting about hurting wild animals today? Not many people are accurate shots and wont kill quickly and humanely, its vile. It should be illegal to shoot wildlife unless you have a specialist licence.

Pine martens are proving better at getting rid of grey squirrels in red squirrel areas but lovely landowners have hunted them to near extinction for their pheasant shooting seasons, same as they do the birds of prey. Its humans that funked up the natural order.

There is plenty of advice around if you like feeding birds but not squirrels. The top three are antisquirrel feeders with baffles/cages or give them their own food source away from the bird feeders (my method, does work) or sprinkle something ....it might be on the rspcb website.. but if I recall correctly its curry powder. Squirrels hate it, birds can't taste it (but do check before stealing the kitchen spices). I am sure there must be other methods to co exist in peace.