A 'bloodthirsty' squirrel who left residents in a small Welsh town terrorised and scrambling for tetanus jabs has been caught - after a 48-hour rampage injuring at least 18 people.
The rogue rodent began attacking pensioners, children and pets in their gardens in Buckley, Flintshire, last week.
Dozens of locals have now been left with cuts to their hands after bites and scratches by the same grey squirrel, who was nicknamed 'Stripe' after the evil character from The Gremlins film.
‘Psycho’ squirrel that went nuts biting residents is caught
— Passerby (@passerby1970) December 28, 2021
Invaders will always allow you to feed them, then when strong enough will always bite the hands that fed them. One terrorist grey squirrel attacks 21 people. Just a tale of what's to come for us.
https://t.co/kORmJv79ob
The squirrel's reign of terror was finally brought to an end yesterday, when he was captured in a humane trap by 65-year-old Corrine Reynolds and handed to the RSPCA.
Despite befriending the creature, Mrs Reynolds was also bitten on the hand and decided she needed to act after seeing multiple reports of squirrel attacks on social media.
Mrs Reynolds said: 'I noticed yesterday that in the space of 48 hours, he has attacked 18 people.
'He has started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin and they are quite gruesome injuries.'
The RSPCA confirmed this afternoon that the squirrel had been put down because it would be illegal to release it back into the wild.
A 'bloodthirsty' squirrel who left residents in a small Welsh town terrorised and scrambling for tetanus jabs has been caught - after a 48-hour rampage injuring at least 18 people.
The rogue rodent began attacking pensioners, children and pets in their gardens in Buckley, Flintshire, last week.
Dozens of locals have now been left with cuts to their hands after bites and scratches by the same grey squirrel, who was nicknamed 'Stripe' after the evil character from The Gremlins film.
The squirrel's reign of terror was finally brought to an end yesterday, when he was captured in a humane trap by 65-year-old Corrine Reynolds and handed to the RSPCA.
Despite befriending the creature, Mrs Reynolds was also bitten on the hand and decided she needed to act after seeing multiple reports of squirrel attacks on social media.
Mrs Reynolds said: 'I noticed yesterday that in the space of 48 hours, he has attacked 18 people.
'He has started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin and they are quite gruesome injuries.'
The RSPCA confirmed this afternoon that the squirrel had been put down because it would be illegal to release it back into the wild.
A 'bloodthirsty' squirrel who left residents in a small Welsh town terrorised and scrambling for tetanus jabs has been caught - after a 48-hour rampage injuring at least 18 people.
The rogue rodent began attacking pensioners, children and pets in their gardens in Buckley, Flintshire, last week.
Dozens of locals have now been left with cuts to their hands after bites and scratches by the same grey squirrel, who was nicknamed 'Stripe' after the evil character from The Gremlins film.
The squirrel's reign of terror was finally brought to an end yesterday, when he was captured in a humane trap by 65-year-old Corrine Reynolds and handed to the RSPCA.
Despite befriending the creature, Mrs Reynolds was also bitten on the hand and decided she needed to act after seeing multiple reports of squirrel attacks on social media.
Mrs Reynolds said: 'I noticed yesterday that in the space of 48 hours, he has attacked 18 people.
'He has started attacking people who are just taking their recycling bags to the bin and they are quite gruesome injuries.'
The RSPCA confirmed this afternoon that the squirrel had been put down because it would be illegal to release it back into the wild.
Others took to social media to share their experience on a Buckley local community page, with one revealing her cats had been attacked.
She wrote: 'Warning vicious squirrel that attacks, has bitten me, attacked my friend Kev when he came to my house and multiple other people.
Jacqui Rhodes finally snapped a woodpecker. She took some fine pics of our local birdlife (and an inevitable grey squirrel) but this juvenile great-spotted woodpecker was the one she really wanted. #woodpecker #birdlife #gardenbirds pic.twitter.com/zKY7Fm5ndk
— South Ormsby Estate (@southormsby) December 29, 2021
'I'm afraid it needs shooting and I'm an animal advocate, would never normally say that, but it's also attacked my two Bengals who fear nothing and my neighbour's Bengal cats... not fun.'
Grey squirrels were first introduced to the UK from North America in 1876 and now the Wildlife Life Trust estimates that there are 2.5 million grey squirrels in circulation in Britain.
Granite technician, Scott Felton, 34, was unaware of the creature causing chaos in his town until he was bitten on Boxing Day.
He said: 'I was outside having a cigarette at my back door at the time. I crouched down and this squirrel came out of nowhere and jumped onto my garden table.
'After that, it just jumped onto my arm and bit me on my hand before I even had chance to get it off - it all happened so quick.
'My partner said I should go to the hospital to get it check out and, after some persuasion, I went.
'After arriving at the hospital, I had to have a tetanus jab because the squirrel broke my skin.
'I know of someone else too who had to have a tetanus jab because theirs didn't stop bleeding.'
The squirrel - which has been nicknamed 'Stripe' by locals after the evil character from The Gremlins film - has since been collected by the RSPCA.
Mrs Reynolds said the people of Buckley were 'now breathing a sigh of relief' now they were safe again.
She added: 'The handover was frightful. I had to transfer the squirrel from the cage to the RSPCA in my bathroom - we couldn't risk it escaping outdoors again.
'It was quite funny, we were on our knees in the bathroom on the floor trying to do the handover. It was the longest 15 minutes of my life.
'He didn't say what they we're going to do with it - whether they are going to investigate or put it to sleep.
'It has been quite a scary time for the area.
'The amount of messages I have had from people offering to help has been quite amazing - they are grateful that I captured it. A lot a good has come out of this.'
The RSPCA confirmed this afternoon they had 'reluctantly' put down the squirrel because it was illegal to release it back into the wild.
A spokesperson for the charity said: '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 grey squirrels back into the wild.
'We do not agree with this law and opposed it, but legally we have to comply.
'There are numerous ways to humanely deter grey squirrels and we would urge people not to trap them as it is now illegal to release them into the wild and the only option is to put them to sleep.'
This article has been adapted from its original source.
